Once in a blue moon, a seemingly unremarkable incident can lead to a completely new path in life. For Cynthia Bloom, owner of Cynthia Bloom Collectible Jewelry, that moment came nine years ago when she was invited by a friend to place a few items in an upcoming antique sale.
The invitation took Bloom down a path she had never imagined, toward a career in the design of a fashion jewelry line noted for both its vintage character and timeless appeal. Using rare antique crystals, iridescent beads and handcrafted crystal buttons, Bloom’s show-stopping creations recall grand historical eras of the past, yet do so with contemporary flair. 
Yet at the time of her friend’s request, Bloom had no such objective in mind. Instead, she simply recalled an antique necklace she had treasured and worn until the strings had broken. In a few evenings, she had restrung the tiny beads, designing five new necklaces in the process. Prior to the sale however, Bloom showed her creations at work, where they were an instant hit with co-workers and customers alike. “I thought it was pretty remarkable that, without even trying, I was instantly getting requests for custom orders,” she recalls.
With her curiosity aroused, Bloom went online to research the origin of the beads in her possession and soon discovered that the shimmering spheres were hand blown and hand cut in Europe, sometime around 1910. She explains, “I learned that master bead makers had been forced to store their beads in hiding during both world wars, to protect them from confiscation or destruction. Later, many handmade beads had been exported. Some supplies however, remained available, primarily with dealers in Europe. I immediately made contact and requested color samples.” Upon their arrival, she ordered her first supply and, on a financial wing and prayer, was in the business of jewelry design. 
Recalling her spur-of-the-moment start, Bloom says, “I hadn’t picked up a fashion magazine in years, as I was never the type to keep up with that sort of thing. I didn’t know who the hot designers were, and I hadn’t had any training in making jewelry. But when I sat down to design, the ideas were coming so fast, it was literally hurting my brain. Every piece I put together just flowed. It was the biggest adrenaline rush I’ve ever had in my life.”
Today Bloom’s cottage industry, based in Austin, Texas, has grown into a healthy enterprise that has found its customer base in more than 200 retail outlets across 29 states. In the process, Bloom has become something of an expert at sourcing new retail markets as well as supplies. Visits to the Czech Republic, for example, have taken her to Prague as well as small villages roundabout, where reputable dealers have taught her how to search for the best in antique beads. She comments, “If I find beads stored in old, original packaging, or jewelry on older or broken strings, I know I’m on the right track.”
In one providential instance, Bloom’s interpreter, a woman in her seventies, had been a jewelry designer earlier in life. Says Bloom, “As it turned out, she had exactly what I was looking for—rare carnival glass beads in every color you can imagine, all in her own personal stash. I bought everything she had, and she was delighted to pass them on.”
In addition to using beads in her designs, Bloom has branched into the use of European-made buttons created from hand-cut crystal and glass that also hint at a storied history. “In the 1600s, people of nobility and royalty showed their wealth and stature with buttons of iridescent colors, as well as those with gold and liquid platinum fired into the glass,” she explains. 
Recently, Bloom has made use of these beauties in a new fashion jewelry line that honors a mysterious element of her own family history.  She explains, “I discovered by accident, several years ago, that my birth grandmother was someone I had never known and that she had lived in Argentina. After I got over my shock, I spent a lot of time thinking about her and wondering what she was like. In this state of mind, I decided to name my new line of jewelry Milonga. In Argentina, a milonga is a gathering place where people go to tango, so I chose that name in tribute to the Argentinean woman of mystery who was my grandmother.”
As Bloom’s enterprise has grown, she has hired a small team of employees who assist in collaboration as well as the production of designs. Bloom herself spends an increasing amount time in the acquisition of vintage and antique beads, as well as in marketing the final creations.  Enjoying every moment, she explains, “I was always looking for something that I could really feel passionate about and I’ve finally found it. Six centuries of European bead- making secrets were lost to two world wars, so these beads are literally timeless treasures that will never be produced again. Bringing such spectacular works of the past into the present, where they can be seen, worn and enjoyed by an entirely new generation, gives real meaning to my work.”