Janet Payne Jewelry
If you’re familiar with Cape May, it’s almost difficult not to be familiar with Janet Payne’s work. Whether you’re already a fan of her sea glass jewelry or have seen it displayed at Cape May shops Whale’s Tale or Splash, or even dangling around the neck or from the earlobes of the person sitting next to you at a local watering hole, you probably know her without knowing it. Her necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings are as one-of-a-kind as the precious pieces of collected sea glass that inspire them.
Born in Staten Island, Janet moved with her family to New Jersey when she was nine, and she landed in Cape May over 20 years ago, first in the Point, now living in West Cape May. She wanted to be an artist or a teacher growing up. “Somehow, I managed to do both,” she said. “My parents encouraged my artistic endeavors from an early age. By the time I was a teenager we had built a potter’s wheel and I was taking etching printmaking classes. I went to school for fine art, then went back to get a degree in graphic design and returned to get my teaching certificate.”
Janet’s father was a fragrance designer who took her to art museums, and her mother “was always doing needlework,” so creativity clearly runs in the family. Janet worked as a freelance graphic designer/illustrator, taught art at several local elementary schools as well as Atlantic Cape Community College before going full time into the jewelry making business.
“When we moved to the Point, I started walking the beach every morning before getting the kids up for school. I started collecting sea glass, and jars of glass accumulated. When people asked me what I was going to do with it I’d say, ‘I’m going to make jewelry with it, someday.’ I took a few jewelry making classes, read a lot of books, and jumped right in!”
Janet had no idea whether she’d be successful in her new endeavor, but “I knew I was onto something when Hilary Pritchard agreed to carry my jewelry at Splash and then Whale’s Tale.” Last year, she started picking up pieces of driftwood and painting seascapes on them. “Turning trash to treasures. It’s a great way to start my day, finding treasures and doing something good for the planet.”
Indeed—Janet doesn’t just collect sea bling. “The best part of my job is walking the beach at first light and finding treasures—sea glass, Cape May diamonds, and the sunrise reflecting on the water and clouds. But the worst is seeing trash. I always clean the beach as I walk. I’ve made large fanciful fish out of the colorful plastic I’ve collected.”
She’s also a walking advertisement for her creations. “I really love my stacked sea glass earring design,” Janet said. “I wear those every day. And the necklace I wear every day is one of the first pieces I ever made. It’s not impressive, but it’s very special to me.” ν
In addition to Whale’s Tale and Splash, you can find Janet’s work at the West Cape May Farmers Market in the summer months, as well as festivals at the Nature Center of Cape May. Her website is janetpaynejewelry.com, and she’s on Instagram and Facebook.
