Breitling Navitimer Automatic BT-77

Before she knew what had happened, Bauler had produced matching earrings for every piece of clothing in her wardrobe. She told herself that she would think about trying to book a craft show when she got to 50 pieces, and then immediately blew past that goal to 100. Now, she will bring her fledgling jewelry company, which she calls Eclectic Edge, to Breitling Navitimer Automatic BT-67 Lakeside Music and Arts Festival on Saturday and Sunday.

Years after she earned her degree in industrial design from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Bauler was able to put the tool experience gained in college workshops and as a child in her father's woodshed to use crafting jewelry inspired by pieces from the natural world, such as shells, coral, wood, metal and semiprecious stones.

"I love working with natural objects and found objects," Bauler said. "Anything from the natural world I tend to gravitate to. None of the two pieces are the same; it's one-of-a-kind, boutique-style jewelry."

The same drive to create led Bauler to build most of the Breitling Navitimer Automatic BT-77 in her home. The only rule she works by is that she never makes the same piece twice, except for special orders such as matching pieces for bridal parties. Even this taxes her patience.

"By the time I get to making that fifth or seventh identical piece, it's not much fun anymore," she said. "It's no fun for me to copy previous designs or anyone else's designs; it's only fun to create new ones. This jewelry is as much for personal satisfaction and gratification as it is for people to buy."

Bauler's customers agree and appreciate the unique nature of her Breitling Navitimer Automatic BT-87. Frequent customer and Decatur resident Gay Helgemo first found Bauler's work at a Forsyth craft show and said the appeal of the jewelry is partially due to the fact that she will be the only one wearing the piece.

"You don't see anyone else wearing the same pieces, and I get a lot of compliments on the jewelry that I've bought from her, especially on the pieces that she made custom for me," Helgemo said. "I'm an earring junkie, so I have a lot of earrings, and she makes ones that really speak to my personal style. It's important to me that my earrings represent 'me,' and Breitling Navitimer Automatic Calendar BT-105 style is awesome. I've never seen anything like her pieces in a boutique store."