Jewelry inspired by Southwest Florida

From the News-Press
July 12, 2008

Joanmarie Lermann looks to Southwest Florida for inspiration - the beach, the colors, the shells.

"It just seems to me to sparkle," Lermann said.

She has been transforming her tropical stimulants into brightly colored, beaded jewelry for six years. Her daughter-in-law, Emily, joined her about four years ago.

Together, the two have created a business out of their passion called Radiant Renditions.

"We started with nothing," said Emily Lermann, a 24-year-old aerobics instructor.

Now, she and her mother-in-law host "tons of shows," including an exhibit currently up at Harbour View Gallery, 5781 Cape Harbour Drive, in Cape Harbour.

This is the second show Joanmarie and Emily Lermann have had at the art gallery. They also showcased their work in February.

"Last February we did phenomenal," Joanmarie Lermann said. "We almost sold out."

Originally from New Jersey, she started making jewelry shortly after moving to Fort Myers about eight years ago, having vacationed on Sanibel Island for years. She and her husband run a window-treatment business.

She and Emily Lermann also do a lot of custom work at the request of customers, which usually entails the two women glass-blowing their own beads.

Emily Lermann said making one bead can take between 30 and 45 minutes.

Otherwise, they usually buy their beads elsewhere.

Emily Lermann attributes a large part of the business' success to her relationship with her mother-in-law.

"We've always been pretty close. That's why I think it really did work out," she said. "We get along very well."

Joanmarie and Emily Lermann's work will be on display at Harbour View Gallery through the month of July, along with the quilting work of Joan Krick.