THINKING OUTSIDE THE JEWELRY BOX Millinocket teen finds balance – and a customer base – in hand-crafting unique necklaces, earrings and bracelets

Amanda Steward is 16, but she has the wit and wisdom of someone twice her age. She is, in the words of a friend, “feisty and outspoken.” She is also artistic, with a sharp eye for design, color and texture, as anyone who has worn her jewelry – bold, beaded bracelets, dangling earrings with a cascade of glass pearls – knows.

The Millinocket girl started making her own necklaces, earrings and bracelets three years ago, because she was sick of paying jacked-up prices for ho-hum jewelry. Since she’s online all the time, she did a little Googling and found all the advice she needed on Craftster.org. Now, she makes accessories for her friends, for herself (she plans to make her own prom ensemble next spring) and for sale at Thirteen Moons in downtown Millinocket. One of her art glass bracelets will set you back all of $3.

In her spare time, she makes sets for plays at Stearns High School, where she is a junior. She does embroidery. Right now, she is in the process of knitting slippers for children in orphanages.

As the Beastie Boys would say, the girl is crafty like ice is cold.

“I’ve always been interested in creative stuff,” Amanda said recently. “It’s really an outlet for me.”

For years, Amanda has lived with bipolar disorder, and through crafts, she has been able to channel her manic energy into something positive.

“I don’t lash out at people like I used to,” she said. “It’s a definite plus.”

Amanda is frank about her life and quick to talk about it. She was adopted as a baby, and she’s lived in Millinocket most of her life. But she longs to spread her wings. After graduation, she hopes to attend Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, where she plans to study anthropology and sociology so she can work in a museum.

For now, though, she’s fascinated with her crafting. When she goes to Wal-Mart, she scours the bargain bin for beads. When she goes to Bangor, her first stop is A.C. Moore, where the findings, silver pieces and vibrant adornments draw her in. Her favorite catalog comes from Fire Mountain Gems, a wholesale supplier that carries pretty much everything a jewelry maker could want.

“It’s so cliche, but jewelry making is very Zen,” Amanda said. “You’re putting beads on it; you’re making something beautiful.”

Though her palette is anything but subdued, Amanda’s jewelry is elegant in a way that belies her youth. She takes pieces that are intended for one purpose (a beautiful necklace clasp that would be hidden at the back of the neck) and transforms them into something else (say, a pair of earrings). And her vision has been a hit with the locals.

“Obviously it’s a great fit for our store to have local products, locally made and in particular youth-made,” said Jen Olsen, co-owner of Thirteen Moons. “She’s a kid that doesn’t fit the traditional mold for part-time work available for teenagers, and this is a way for her to work at her own pace. She does great work.”

The idea of talking business with young women also appeals to Olsen, who also carries sea glass jewelry created by one of Amanda’s friends.

“Here’s how people get paid. Here’s how we price things. That’s the kind of stuff most people who create don’t talk about,” Olsen said. “It’s kind of a marketing piece, and it’s fun to talk about that stuff.”

Amanda is still reeling from the fact that somebody actually is willing to pay money for something she created.

“I’m just a kid sitting around doing stuff,” she said, smiling. “I can make money. I like money.”

Strangely enough, she rarely wears jewelry, unless she’s dressing up for a special occasion. Instead, she prefers to give it (and now sell it) to others. And she likes the freedom it provides.

“It’s more personal,” she said. “I have control over it. You don’t have to follow a pattern.”

And Amanda wouldn’t have it any other way.