Most viewers shied away from the scary parts in “Dark Shadows,” a gothic TV soap opera in the late 1960s, but Dana Schneider, then 7, was transfixed by the black onyx ring that the vampire character Barnabas Collins wore.
“It caught my eye because it was so dramatic and prominent. You saw it every time he put his hand on his cane,” said Ms. Schneider, now 66. “It was a family crest ring, which I’d never seen before.”
In 1999, Ms. Schneider, by then a self-taught jewelry maker, moved to Los Angeles with the hope of getting costume designers to use her jewelry — or to commission new pieces for films and TV shows. Since then, more than 1,000 of her creations have appeared in about 80 productions, including movies such as “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and TV series such as “Game of Thrones” and “Californication.”
Ms. Schneider said she always tries to make her designs reflect the characters who wear them — and that standouts have included the Mockingjay pin worn by Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) in some of the “Hunger Games” films; the locket worn by Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” (2013); and a charm bracelet for Viola Fields (Jane Fonda) in “Monster-in-Law” (2005).
“My intention is to help the actor get into character,” said Ms. Schneider, an Ohio native. “Jewelry conveys who someone is or who they want to be.”
An example might be the Sunbird necklace worn by Natascha McElhone’s character during all seven seasons of the Showtime series “Californication.”
“It was a wonderful, potent image I responded to,” Ms. McElhone said during a telephone interview from her London home. “When the show ended, I bought one from her. It’s become more synonymous with me now than my character.”
Contracts with studios and production companies bar Ms. Schneider from producing some of her designs, but she sells others on her website, danaschneider.com, and her Etsy page, which lists the 18-karat gold Sunbird at $5,100.
Coming up? Look for a necklace in a 18-karat gold and sterling silver mix that Ms. Schneider made for Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) in “Superman: Legacy,” scheduled to debut in July.
In a recent phone interview from her home in the northeastern Ohio city of Hudson, Ms. Schneider talked about making faux gems from beer bottles, the challenges of designing pieces when you don’t know who will wear them and her love of heavy metal music. The discussion was condensed and edited for clarity.
How did you break into the business?
When I moved to Los Angeles, I knew which costume designers were working on the projects I wanted to work on but didn’t know how to find them. There was networking, recommendations and knocking on doors with my huge portfolio of 60 pieces — or 18 pounds of silver — that I dragged around. I saw Kym Barrett, who did the “Matrix” movies, and Colleen Atwood, who does Tim Burton’s films.
Tim Burton’s “Planet of the Apes” (2001) was your first film?
Yes. I had created large skeletal bronze arm pieces. Colleen showed Tim, who liked it. They asked for other pieces. I made several things for Tim Roth’s character, Thade; most were sewn onto his costume and are seen throughout the movie.
What is the production process?
It’s a true collaboration with the costume designer, who might select pieces from existing jewelry I show them, or we talk about what she would like and what I’m able to make for her in a certain time frame and cost. Sometimes that’s only two weeks. The Mockingjay pin took three months because there were many technical details.
Sometimes I’m given free rein; other times they give me a script and directions. I rarely know what size fingers anyone has, or who I’m designing for, or who will end up wearing something.
And materials?
Sterling silver and 18-karat gold; sometimes it’s with diamonds and gemstones. I don’t make costume jewelry, which is junk metal, sequins and glue. I make jewelry for costumes.
My workroom is jammed with hundreds of designs and over 2,000 molds for casting. I have a ton of weird materials: beetle shells to add an iridescent look, feathers, butterfly wings, eggshells, seashells, gemstones, beads and turquoise. I’ve been collecting vintage Bakelite on eBay for years and plexiglass pieces from the 80s.
Do you have special jewelry making skills?
I have hand casting, carving wood and wax model skills. I cast all my prototypes in silver. I can incorporate leather, stones, pearls or beads into my work. I’ve developed an interesting way of creating what look like real gemstones, which involves shattered Heineken bottles and different colored glasses.
How do you prepare or research a specific character?
I’ve been told a lot of the story lines, outlining the character, by the costume designer. They will email me photos of fabrics or drawings of a costume. If I’m doing a historical piece, like “From Hell” — a 2001 Jack the Ripper film starring Johnny Depp — I’d do a lot of research, like learning about mourning jewelry or how to incorporate real hair into rings and pendants. I’m constantly listening to audiobooks about history and geography, and reading science fiction or comic books.
For the character Nightcrawler that Alan Cumming played in “X-Men 2” (2003), my instructions were, “existential rosary” for the main character, so I researched early German art imagery. For that project, I created 53 hand-carved ebony wooden beads. Jobs like that are my favorite because I’m creating something that doesn’t exist and comes from me and has my handprint on it.
How have you adapted designs for filming action shots?
For drop earrings I switched from French ear wires, the open-end hooks that thread through a piercing, to what’s called lever backs, which actually snap close, because costume designers felt the stunt person would be less likely to lose an earring.
Rings need to be molded and replicated easily, usually because you’re making multiple pieces for the actors and stunt doubles, using rubber or latex, and everyone has different size fingers. You don’t want anything too heavy, sharp or jagged.
What was your inspiration for the Russo brothers’ new movie, “The Electric State,” with Chris Pratt?
I love making men’s jewelry because they’re heavier, bigger, more sculptural pieces. I was told his character was edgy, a transient roamer in an apocalyptic world. I showed the costume designer premade jewelry; one piece, a cat skull pendant, was 20 years old. Two other rings, one called Roadkill and another, Snake Belly, which had been made six months earlier. All three were bought for the film. They’re deliberately beat up looking, which came out of my love of industrial and heavy metal music.
What do you love most about creating jewelry for this medium?
I’ve tried all these different worlds — fashion jewelry, fine jewelry, craft — and I didn’t fit in anywhere. I did with movies. Magazines are great, but one month later they’re off the shelves. Jewelry is forever. It’s going to last after I’m gone.
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