Jewelry business a chance for local grandmother and granddaughter to become closer
No one is ever too old to be creative and enterprising.
Frances “Betty” Notartomaso, 90 years young, makes jewelry at her home in Clinton. With help from Clintonian granddaughter Jen Zelent, Notaromaso sells it.
Notaromaso has only been making jewelry for the last 15 years, but Zelent said Notaromaso has always considered herself crafty.
“She continues to do it as much as she can because she likes to keep her hands busy. She says that once you stop working with your hands they stop working for you,” Zelent said.
How she got into jewelry was simple. Notaromaso was visiting a friend, who had on a piece of jewelry she liked; when she asked her friend where she got it, the friend said they made it. Notaromaso was intrigued and so her friend showed her how to make it herself.
She started with bracelets, then moved on to earrings and necklaces. Notaromaso likes earrings the best because they don’t take as long and she can be more creative in the design.
Crafting inspiration depends on the day
What Notaromaso decides to make “depends on how she wakes up” and her mood, Zelent said, whether they’re big pieces or small pieces.
“It’s a feeling you get when you pick up the beads,” Notaromaso said.
Zelent added, “She loves people wearing her creations. She loves to create special pieces for people. It really makes her feel good about herself and gives her a purpose.”
Notatomaso approached Zelent to assist her with her jewelry, afraid that if something happened to her medically, her jewelry wouldn’t be cared for. Notaromaso knew Zelent wouldn’t let that happen. When Zelent realized how much the jewelry meant to her grandmother, she “took on the jewelry project.”
“It’s brought us closer, and it’s nice to have this special thing with her,” Zelent said. “I have learned a lot about her that I would have never known.”
When Notaromaso finishes a jewelry piece, she puts them in little baggies, so Zelent “took on the task of actually packaging all the pieces so they were a little more protected and showed a little easier.”
Building the business
Zelent hopes to sell Gram’s Jewels at local craft fairs this fall. She is also happy to set up private viewing appointments at her house for people to look through the jewelry, or to travel and do “jewelry parties.” Zelent is also looking for wholesale opportunities like local stores which might want to sell Gram’s Jewels.
Other crafts Notaromaso makes includes crosses, dolls, tissue boxes, birdhouses, and quilts. She’s been making quilts to donate to nurses and doctors for decades.
“It gives her something to do to pass the time,” Zelent said, “Especially during COVID when she really didn’t leave her apartment much. She doesn’t drive so she stays home a lot.”
Notaromaso does relish getting “whatever catches her eye at Joanne Fabrics” for her jewelry and other crafts, though, and loves to be creative. Zelent understands “how much time and money goes into crafting” so selling Gram’s Jewels helps pay for supplies as well as it being a financial help to supplement Notaromaso’s fixed income.
“I am so impressed with my grandmother and her ability and love for crafting after all these years. I wish I had half the talent that she has. She does it for the love of being creative and making other people happy and I think that is so important,” Zelent said.
Making jewelry has helped Notaromaso meet people and make new friends, and she enjoys making pieces for her friends and family.
Zelent said Notaromaso is also the “family seamstress,” fixing holes and hemming clothes.
Notaromaso is originally from Clinton but was in the hospital from 7-18 for polio in Canton, where she went to high school and met her husband at 15. They married just before her 20th birthday and lived in Leominster until he died 26 years ago, after which she moved back to Clinton. They had nine children, eight who survived, and have given Notaromaso lots of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Zelent has lived in Clinton her whole life, choosing to stay because she “loves the town.” Zelent said, “everything you need is right around the corner” in Clinton and she likes having so much family in the area.
Other family members are very supportive of Notaromaso’s handiwork and Zelent helping, assisting Notaromaso with bringing her to stores, and getting the word out about Gram’s Jewels.
Notaromaso plans to keep making jewelry and other crafts as long as she can keep getting rides to get materials and is able to do fine motor activities, and Zelent’s goal is to sell all the existing jewelry and continue to sell it as her grandmother continues to make it.
Zelent can be contacted via email at jennifermarie324@yahoo.com, on Facebook at her Jennifer Zelent personal profile, or by phone at 978-660-0040.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Jewelry business brings grandmother and granddaughter closer
