by Rachel Witkowski
Staff Writer
Corinne Witt has traveled all over the world and last Friday she made a stop in Hemming Plaza to sell her handmade costume jewelry in the Farmer’s Market.
Witt has made jewelry from her home near San Pablo Road for four years through her business, The Silver Clasp. She sells most of her stringed beads and pearls at large craft shows and at the beach because she said the jewelry sells better at bigger events.
“The bigger, the better,” said Witt. “But it gets to be expensive.”
Friday wasn’t the first time The Silver Clasp came to the Market and though it’s not Witt’s full-time job, she said she will probably come back again.
Witt currently works at Panera Bread but has spent most of her life as a bartender and waitress in countries including Holland, Greece and Italy. The red-headed American with an English accent was born in Hong Kong. By the time Witt was 17 years old, she had lived in Britain, Germany, Australia and Singapore thanks to a military father. Before she was 18, Witt decided to travel on her own and being a cocktail waitress was the best way to make money fast while traveling, she said. In 1983, she came to Florida and spent 16 years in South Florida before coming to Jacksonville.
With the cocktails behind her, Witt enjoys spending her time making earrings, necklaces, rings and bracelets, even if she makes more than she sells.
“You’ve got to pay to give,” said Witt. “I just love making it.”