In 2013, Dana Schneider was one of Cleveland Magazine's Most Interesting People as she crafted the iconic Hunger Games Mockingjay pin along with other custom pieces for films. Today, Schneider is still creating jewelry for film, including the necklace that Lois Lane wears in the new Superman movie that was filmed in Cleveland.
“I love movies as much as all of us do, but it never occurred to me really that I could find a career in it,” says Schneider, who is from Canton.
In 1999, the self-taught jeweler moved to Los Angeles after feeling that she had accomplished everything that she wanted in retail jewelry.
“I really got pretty bored with it, and I wanted to make really dramatic big, you know, silver pieces. Things that you just can't go sell in a store really well,” she says.
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Now, over 1,000 of Schneider’s pieces have appeared in around 80 productions.
The 18-karat gold sterling silver mix necklace that Lois Lane wears in the new Superman movie is a necklace that Schneider has been making on her own for several years.
“When I worked on Terminator Salvation … that's when I started mixing metals,” says Schneider. “I usually bring out a lot of jewelry when I'm gonna go see costume designers and just show them what I've been working on, some of the old favorites. And so [the costume designer for Superman] selected that necklace out of what I had already been making. There are, I think, one or two other charms on my chain that I didn't make.”
Jewelry in film is typically carefully chosen to reflect the character wearing it. It can serve as a key aspect in storytelling and symbolism, revealing more about the characters.
“[The costume designer for Superman] selected that chain, and I believe it's because it's a claim that when you mix metals, it sort of gives a feeling of history to a piece,” Schneider adds. “You know, was it repaired? Is this handed down through the generations? It comes with a sort of a look that feels like it's got some history to it, and I think that's part of why she liked it for Lois Lane, who is a pretty down-to-earth character. So you don't want the latest, glitziest, treading something on a character like that.”
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For Schneider, she starts by carving a wax model when making jewelry, and then lets the design evolve. She calls it a “very organic process” and has been using the same process since the ’80s. Schneider doesn’t feel confined in the way that she believes other jewelers may feel since they have to stick to a certain brand or look.
“I feel really free to design, kind of whatever I want, because of the movie work,” she says.
When Schneider watches TV, there are times when she sees movies that she has worked on.
“It's always like a pinch-me moment, it never gets dull,” she adds.
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When making pieces for movies, it is not always a guarantee that your piece will end up in the final film, so the reward of seeing it in the final cut is always special. Schneider's goal has always been to be a part of the movie-making process.
“Meeting actors is definitely pretty cool, but I love seeing the sets and meeting all the prop people and all the people that make it come together,” she concedes, “That's probably my favorite part.”
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