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collections
metal and glass jewelry inspired by mother nature
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i use a variety of metalworking and enameling techniques to create my rings, pendants, and earrings. depending on the collection and the type of piece, i work with either a copper or fine silver base and then add several layers of enamel and often embed metal or glass elements. many of my pieces have been in and out of the kiln 20 times! my pendant hooks and earring wires are all hand-shaped—the hooks are either copper or sterling silver, and the earring wires are all sterling silver. i do also offer leather cords with hand-shaped hooks to go with my pendants.
reclaim
i've always been amazed at nature's ability to reclaim spaces that seem hostile to life—the bit of moss growing in the cracks of pavement, the little pools forming as tides rush out.
i make the ring itself by melting and shaping fine silver, which is 99.9% pure (so unlike sterling silver it won’t tarnish). i use a paintbrush or toothpick to place the enamel grains into the recesses, firing and adding more enamel as many times as necessary. for my reclaim pieces i use either green or blue enamels. i sand the whole ring, then finish it by putting it in a tumbler with steel shot to harden and shine the silver.
dance
i love the sound and sight of grasses, flowers, leaves, and even trees gently dancing in the breeze—it's somehow both inspires me to get moving and calms me down, all at the same time.
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i cut and shape the leaves by hand, using thin copper sheet (26 gauge) so the earrings will be light. each leaf gets 3 thin layers of enamel on the front and the same on the back, then i finish the edges and put them onto handmade sterling silver earring wires. some leaves also have an under layer of fine silver foil (99.9% pure) and a dangling stem or 2, each made of melted and shaped fine silver.
bloom
the more i really look at flowers, the more i realize how varied they are in shape, color, texture, and structure. and yet, no matter, as each blooms into something equally stunning.
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i start each pendant by stamping the world “bloom” on the back of a piece of 18 gauge copper or 20 gauge silver and covering it with enamel; the earrings are 26 gauge. the front begins with 3 layers of enamel (individually fused), then I make a design in “separation enamel,” a material which causes the glass to melt at different rates and creates a ghost image. for each bloom piece i use either pinks, purples, or blues. i often embed fine silver that i’ve melted, then i add additional enamel to complete the design.
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shift
to me there's magic in how light and moisture shift our perception of a landscape—the blazing pinks and yellows of dawn and dusk, the moody blues and grays of a fog rolling in.
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i start each pendant by stamping the reference number for a Thompson Enamel transparent colored enamel onto a thick piece of copper (18 gauge). for my shift pieces, i work with either a pink, purple, or blue enamel. that’s the only colored enamel I use on the piece—all of the color variation comes from what’s underneath: raw copper, clear or white enamel, and gold and silver foil. the two large pieces of foil on each piece are both silver—one shows the color when the foil is is covered with clear enamel, the other shows the color when the pink is put directly onto silver foil, causing a reaction that creates a whole new color.
grow
after a long winter, i find there's nothing more life-affirming, more optimistic, than the first shoots of growth bursting forth, greening the drab forest floor and the bare tree boughs.
i start each pendant by stamping the world “grow” on the back of a piece of 18 gauge copper or 20 gauge silver and covering it with enamel; the earrings are 26 gauge. the front begins with 3 layers of enamel (individually fused), then i make a design in “separation enamel,” a material which causes the glass to melt at different rates and creates a ghost image. sometimes I embed melted pieces of silver, then i add additional enamel to complete the design.