Craft Show Artists 2009

Susan Chin — Chico, CA   |   susanchin.com

These lush and quirky pieces are fabricated in silver and gold, bone, ebony, pearls, stones and found objects. A lot of time is spent in drilling, drilling and drilling. My forms and textures are derived from phenomena of the natural world, plants and pods, floppy microorganisms, and the designs of the human body conjoined with the beautiful mechanics and influences of our industrial environment.

Namu Cho — Bethesda, MD   |   studionamu.com

My work expresses peace of mind from landscape using damascene and fusing techniques, materials are 24k gold, 22k gold, steel and diamonds.

Petra Class — San Francisco, CA   |   petraclass.net

My work is created in 24, 22 and 18 karat gold. I use gemstones to emphasize my love for color and like to play with combinations of cut and rough stones. My intention is to make pieces that seduce and enjoy; that fulfill the ancient human need for adornment. I use materials perceived as precious to invoke the eternal awe for the beauty nature brings forth.

Devta D. Doolan — Portland, ME   |   devtadoolan.com

I am interested in the transformative power of jewelry and the blending of ancient and modern styles. I believe that it is the juxtaposition of a precise technical quality with a rough and relaxed feel that gives the work its authenticity.

Lilly A. Fitzgerald — Spencer, MA   |   lillyfitzgerald.com

My work is fed by that which I see around me everyday and in my travels...hub caps, doorknobs, the shape of a branch on a tree, building shapes, the detail on a fence post, stones and natural materials, their cuts and textures also serve as inspiration. I look at things all the time, all of this visual info goes in and is stored somewhere until a later time when I am thinking and drawing. Then things start to swirl around and come out as an amalgam of me and my visual life.

Rob Greene — Marshfield, VT

Most of my work is hand fabricated in 18k, 22k gold and semi-precious stones. I also do most of the lapidary. I work alone and do all aspects of the design and production.

Barbara Heinrich — Pittsford, NY   |   barbaraheinrichstudio.com

This collection exhibits the fusion of classic techniques with contemporary style elements in handmade fine jewelry. The distinctive pieces shown combine precious gemstones and pearls with the warm glow of matte 18 karat yellow gold, allowing each piece speak for itself. The beauty of the organic designs is highlighted by both the precise attention to proportion and detail along with the lightweight structure of each piece due to skilled hand fabrication. This collection appeals to all age groups with pieces that range from bridal and engagement rings to heirloom jewelry pieces that are passed down through the generations.

Tom Herman — Stone Ridge, NY   |   sevenfingers.com

In my jewelry, I use the techniques of chasing, engraving and saw piercing on 18kt gold and platinum to enhance precious and semi-precious stones.

Mary Hughes & Caro-Gray Bosca
Gloucester, MA   |   hughes-bosca.com

We combine high karat Gold with the finest quality stones and rare materials. Each piece is hand-forged, formed and fabricated implementing techniques developed through classic training in jewelry-making and blacksmithing. Our color and texture emerge naturally, infusing each piece with character and intimacy. Ancient yet contemporary, our jewelry embodies an aesthetic of timeless appeal.

Jill Hurant — Morganville, NJ   |   jillhurant.com

After alloying gold into 22k, it is milled into wire and sheet. The metal is then hand fabricated, to which granulation is applied along with precious and semi-precious stones, into a unique piece of jewelry.

Reiko Ishiyama — New York, NY

Using thin metal I expect the pieces to be light and flexible to create architectural spaces with lights and shadows. Material that I use is Sterling Silver, 18K Gold, and 14K White Gold.

Judith Kaufman — West Hartford, CT

I make each unique piece by hand, using 22kt yellow gold, 18kt green gold and 14kt rose gold, incorporating unusual stones. My favorite challenge is to harmonize, color texture and design.

Taikyun Kim — Potomac, MD   |   taikyunkim.com

My works are inspired by universe. Infinite space, cosmic phenomenons, planets, colors; and forms are just few aspects of universe that always provide me with endless imaginations and designs. I use meteorites, gold, sterling silver, O-dong (Shakudo) and diamonds to reflect as much as sentiments I receive from universe onto my works. In the process of fusing, repousse, and chasing I form jewelry that holds my own definition and observation of cosmos. I tried to pull out as much as depth, pattern, and textures in my works.

Linda A. Kindler-Priest — Bedford, MA   |   lkindlerpriest.com

I am an artist who creates little environments in precious metal jewelry. These pieces incorporate realistic images in the form of relief sculptures that are embedded into metal using an ancient technique known as repoussee. This is a slow process by which the image is sculpted with the use of hand-shaped embossing tools. Each environment that I create is a unique piece that is made complete with the colors and textures of stones, crystals and pearls that I select and in some cases hand-cut.

Judith Kinghorn — Minneapolis, MN   |   judithkinghorn.com

The pieces are all hand fabricated using a combination of techniques incuding fusing, embossing with hand etched plates, die forming and granulation. They are put together with layers of sterling silver, 24 karat gold, 22 karat gold and occasionally gemstones.

Ken Loeber & Dona Look — Algoma, WI   |   www.loeberlook.com

Sterling silver and 18K gold are forged and fabricated to create thoughtfully designed and uniquely textured necklaces, bracelets, pins and earrings.

Carolyn Morris Bach — Carolina, RI   |   carolynmorrisbach.com

My work is inspired by the rural environment where I live and work. I hand carve the figurative elements from fossilized ivory, ebony and bone, and chose a subtle color scheme for my stones because I feel it enhances the organic quality of the piece. The imagery often includes a human face or form to represent my sense of being one with nature.

Rebecca Myers — Annapolis, MD   |   rebeccamyersdesign.com

The line of jewelry that I design and make unites two opposing influences; a technical approach to design and the spontaneity of natural forms. The materials used are high karat gold, oxidized silver, diamonds and colored stones. I utilize casting and fabrication techniques such as fusing, overlay and embossing as well as abrasive finishes and patinas..

So Young Park — Rochester, NY   |   soyoungparkstudio.com

I discovered an important role that plant forms can have in my metal work. Human life and plant life have similar growth and life characteristics. The human nativity can be regarded as the sprouting of new life comparable to the blooming of a flower. From an atheistic point view, nature reveals the beauty of the eternal cycles of life. My jewelry pieces express desire, hope, and the power of life through organic plant forms that are artistically rendered in a simplistic, geometric, and sophisticated manner. The jewelry pieces are assembled through the harmonic use of wires, hammered textures, and tiny concave shaped metal pieces creating, elegant, yet unusual visual forms. Expressing the emotions I have towards nature through the use of seeds shapes in jewelry helps to symbolize the origins of life. The use of wires, cups, and other small elements represent the single cells that makeup all life.

Jayne Redman — Portland, ME   |   jayneredmanjewelry.com

The linear quality of stems and the fullness of flower buds inspire my jewelry. I enjoy integrating mechanics with design, allowing each piece to function in a visually intriguing way. I work with multiples of the same shape engineering them to fit precisely to give an abstract interpretation of their botanical resource. Many years of metalsmithing have taught me the power of simplicity. My forms begin as flat metal shapes and arrive as small sculptures. Their complexity is in their conception as curving planes of origami.

Todd V. Reed — Boulder, CO      toddreed.com

Hand forged and fabricated jewelry using 18k gold, sterling silver with patina, precious stones, raw and cut diamonds.

Klaus Spies — Asheville, NC   |   spiesjewelrydesign.com

My jewelry is inspired by natural shapes which I aim to render elegant and wearable. My preferred materials are 18k gold, sterling silver, ebony and well-chosen gems with top color. I use various surface treatments to give familiar fine metals an alluring tone and sheen. I use a wide variety of traditional goldsmithing techniques like chasing, fabricating, and wax-carving. I always aim for a perfection in craftsmanship but want to distinguish from classical and industrialized-looking jewelry.