One day, Tim Foster picked up a hammer and whacked a penny into a small stone, turning it into a pendant which he then gave to his girlfriend as a birthday present. Turns out, she loved it. And she wasn't the only one. Thus, a jewelry maker was born--now three years later, Foster calls Jack Black, Foo Fighters, Lucinda Williams, Black Eyed Peas and Sheryl Crow fans of his handcrafted silver jewelry company Pennyroyal. With limited-edition collaborations out (Jack Black designed one with a devil's head on it, which was just released on the Pennyroyal website) and custom creations in the works, you could say the Foster has got more than a pretty penny in his pocket. But success hasn't gone to his head--here, Foster talks about his inspirations, plans and the perfection of imperfection.


1. If you weren't a jewelry designer what would you be?
That's pretty tough to say. Probably something in music again. I worked at a record company for about 7 years before I started designing jewelry, and music has always been my passion, so I'd probably get back into that in some way. Artist management, directing music videos, photography... those would be my areas of interest I think. Glass blowing and bronze sculpture have always been interesting to me too. A job where I can crank up the music and be creative is perfect for me.


2. What is the inspiration for your latest collection?
My collection is constantly evolving and the inspiration for each design is different. The thing that all my designs have in common is imperfection. I've always compared the process of making a piece of jewelry to the process of writing and recording a song. The initial sketch of a design is like the writing process. I think about what the piece will mean and then start scribbling out ideas. i don't really have a clear idea of what the finished piece will look like, it's just a basic outline. The actual process of translating the sketch idea into a silver design is like recording a song. I just start to build it and carve out the details and stop when it feels done. I never try to make it perfect. The scratches and wrinkles are what give each design a soul. It's like Bob Dylan's voice. The imperfections make it unique and real. Can you imagine if Bob Dylan auto-tuned his voice to be perfectly on pitch?


3. What cities, neighborhoods and/or regions inspire you and why?
I've found inspiration in the major European cities I've been to. London, Paris, Rome, Dublin, etc... There is so much history everywhere. I like the look of the structures and architecture that has been there for a thousand years and have had their ornate details rounded off by time. I guess it's the beauty of imperfection that I find so inspiring. Old buildings, cobble stone streets, old wrought iron railings, a structure that has been half broken down for parts for another structure... they all have amazing stories locked inside.
I think the front bar at the Troubadour in Hollywood has that mystery too. It's not that old, relatively speaking, but it's scratched and worn and you can just tell by looking at it that it's been through some crazy stuff and has something to say.


4. What plans are on the horizon for Pennyroyal Silver?
I just launched a new line called the Signature Collection, which is an idea I had a couple years ago to involve my music roots directly in my jewelry designs. The Signature Collection designs are made from actual sketches by musicians and will benefit The MusiCares Foundation. It's sort of my way of giving back to the community of musicians who inspire me to be creative in a different way. I do a lot of custom designs for people all over the world and some of those involve taking exact handwriting or sketches and replicating them in silver to make a really personal design. So the Signature Collection came from that. The first design was drawn by Jack Black and was just released on my website. Each artist's design will be limited. The Jack Black design is numbered to 100. There are artists from all different genres lined up to release designs over the next few months and I plan to keep adding more.


5. What is one of your favorite products from your latest collection?
My favorite is usually whatever I've just finished. The latest one is called "Janie" and was inspired by a night out at a burlesque club with my wife. One of the dancers is a friend of ours and danced to "Janie's Got A Gun". Something about the combination of old fashioned burlesque style and the lyrics of that song seemed just sexy and bad ass. Like a little pistol tucked into a lace garter. I'm working on one right now that's inspired by a dark version of Alice In Wonderland and I'm pretty excited about it. That one will be out within a couple weeks.


6. What advice would you give to a young person who wants to follow in your footsteps?
I don't have much advice for someone who wants to be a jewelry designer. Mainly because I don't really follow the rules of traditional jewelry design. But as far as working for yourself and doing something that is truly satisfying... I think people need to be willing to take the risk to go after what they really want to do. If you don't like what you're doing or where you're at, do everything you can to change it. Take the risk and work as hard as you have to in order to make it happen. That said, I've found that above everything else that is great about my job, knowing that what I do is meaningful to other people is what really makes it worth it. I'm the most satisfied when I can focus my passion and creativity on benefitting other people and not just satisfying my own selfish desires.


7. What is your design mantra?
I don't really have a mantra, but when I'm sketching a design I always focus on the meaning and not exactly how the end product is going to look. When working on the actual silver piece, I try not to have finishing anxiety. It's hard to describe that kind of strategy, because there isn't a goal that can be defined as "done". I would never be able to work under the idea that a design is done when it's perfectly symmetrical and polished to a mirror finish. What fun would that be? A design is done when it feels done, regardless of how many scratches, wrinkles or cracks it has.