Craft Show Artists 2010

Susan Chin — Chico, CA   |   susanchin.com

These lush and quirky pieces are fabricated in bone, ebony, pearls, stones, found objects, silver and gold. A lot of time is invested 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 Doolan — Portland, ME   |   devtadoolan.com

The raw and vibrant landscape of New Zealand where I was born had a profound influence on me. The powerful elemental forces of the ocean interacting with the land have always inspired a creative drive within me. I'm influenced by the simplicity and clarity of ancient jewelry and I want to bring that feeling into a modern context.

Emanuela Duca — New York, NY   |   emanueladuca.com

In my work, I revive archaic forms and re-interpret them with a modern sensibility. Sculpted in wax and manipulated through various techniques, the resulting designs are highly textured, their molten surfaces evocative of volcanic lava and the ruins of my native Rome. Yet their shapes and combination are clean, simple, and minimal and just the kind of contradiction that I aim to achieve in all of my work.

Lilly 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.

Pat Flynn — High Falls, NY   |   patflynninc.com

What I find most compelling in building my work are contrasts. In materials I am exploring the painterly interplay of fused gold on blackened steel with a reserved use of white gemstones – all a contrast in inherent preciousness, color palette and the reflection of light. Another contrast exists in the movements and skills to make the work: the broad, powerful movements of forging followed by controlled goldsmithing techniques. In creating sensuous forms that respond to and echo the body, it is my wish that the work go out into the world to communicate for me.

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

My jewelry pieces are a contemporary interpretation of botanical themes. I instill a delicate sense of proportion, form and color in each piece to achieve a sense of timeless beauty. The understated look of this collection is achieved by matted gold surfaces and burnished edges, combined with the masterful use of a multitude of ancient and modern goldsmithing techniques.

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   |   hughesbosca.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

My work is created by alloying gold into 22k. It is then milled into wire and sheet. The metal is hand fabricated, to which granulation is applied along with precious and semi-precious stones, into a unique piece of jewelry. With these classical techniques my work has the look of the past with a modern edge.

John Iversen — East Hampton, NY     

Handmade, one of a kind jewelry in 18Kt Yellow Gold and Sterling Silver.

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.

Judith Kinghorn — Minneapolis, MN   |   judithkinghorn.com

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

Seung-Hea Lee — Providence, RI     

All of my necklaces have great movement and flexibility created by the linkage system or kinetic elements. I like my chains to come alive on the wearer's body. For me, this movement and flexibility is performance art on the body.t

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

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

Ayesha Mayadas — Englewood, NJ   |   ayeshastudio.com

I work gold like clay; pushing, pulling and sculpting, not with fingers, but with hammers and stakes. The end result is the transformation of unyielding metal into the softer contours of natural life: small, tactile sculptures that provide little glimpses into nature; the ripple of water, the fragility of a petal, the broken edge of a dried leaf..." The hammer is the most frequently utilized tool in my studio. A range of hammers and steel stakes help to create fluid forms via techniques such as raising, sinking, forging, and sculpting. The tool marks from this process become an integral part of the finished piece. Precious and some semi-precious stones are used, but rarely become the focal point of the work.

Etienne F. Perret — Camden, ME   |   etienneperret@gmail.com

Rarely does a designer have the opportunity to design jewelry that is truly innovative. When a new material is created there are possibilities that were not feasible over the past 5000 years of jewelry making. In this body of work I have begun to experiment with gem ceramic, a material as hard as sapphire to create rings and bracelets like nothing ever seen before. Gem ceramic material has been used for jet engines and auto brakes as well as for watches by Chanel and Rado. These black and white ceramic rings are colored all the way through, so one does not have durability issues seen with surface treated metals in the past. I look forward to being the first of a generation of jewelers exploring the possibilities of gem ceramic for the design of jewelry. With the prices of precious metals going beyond the purchasing powers of most consumers, gem ceramics will allow designers to create interesting designs that will serve jewelry wearers well into the twenty-first century.

Todd V. Reed — Boulder, CO   |   toddreed.com

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

Cheryl Rydmark — Mendocino, CA   |   cherylrydmark.com

I am fascinated by the imperfect, often contradictory, and ephemeral poetry of nature. My work is a study in translating these observations into permanent, wearable objects. By forging, roll printing, etching and oxidizing sterling silver and 18k gold, I am able to produce subtle textures and fluid forms that are then accented with other materials. The pearls, diamonds and other stones are chosen for their reflective, lustrous, complimentary or occasionally, contradictory qualities.

Klaus Spies — Asheville, NC   |   spiesjewelrydesign.com

My jewelry is inspired by natural shapes that 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.