Delicate Yet Strong - Daniela Osterrieder Jewelry

 Distinctive gold jewelry created by metalsmith

Daniela Osterrieder is astonishingly delicate,

elegant, simple and sophisticated.

 

There seems to be a subtle connection

among all her pieces - an illusion of

delicacy hiding the true strength of the metal.

 

I love the delicate wispiness of this bracelet

made with incredibly thin, smooth strands of gold.

 



 

 

 

Her work is dainty even when mixed with red rubber.

 

 

This brooch always captures my attention.

It reminds me of cobblestone streets found

throughout Europe.

 



 

This artist proves gold is truly a soft metal.

It lends itself well to these exquisite designs -

so many seem to be as finely textured as silk.

 

More information about Daniela Osterrieder's work

can be found at the Charon Kransen Gallery.

 

 

 



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Maya Kotelnitskaya Jewelry

Captivating design is a hallmark of

the jewelry created by

 Maya Kotelnitskaya.

Her diverse jewelry

is a combination of casting and hand

fabricating techniques that result in structured

yet contemporary designs.

I especially like her eclectic rings and cuffs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gold, silver and gemstones become
beautiful pieces of creativity.

There is a lot more to see

at her website.

 

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Marne Ryan Jewelry

Once Upon A Time . . .

there was a daily television program called

the Carol Duvall Show.  

It was a how-to program that provided many

expert demonstrations of crafting

projects all of them done

with a personal touch.

For me the best part of the show's format

was the inclusion of an interview segment

talking with various craftspeople.

The interviewer and camera crew

traveled to someone's studio and

the footage of the craftsperson

at work in their studio

 was always interesting,

educational and inspiring.

And utterly priceless.

One of my favorite episodes featured

Marne Ryan at work in her metalsmithing studio.

She provided a vivid demonstration

of her torch techniques to fuse gold to silver.

What really made a lasting impression

 on me that day,

and what I still carry forward with me,

 is her devotion for her craft.

Even though she's been doing this work

for well over 30 years her passion

still burns as brightly as her torch.

 

Her specialty is fusing high-carat gold onto

textured sheets of sterling silver.

 These sheets of mixed metals

are then transformed

into one-of-a-kind

 jewelry and sculptural vessels.

Here's an example of one of

her awesome cuffs.

She often includes rare and unusual gemstones.

The wide variety of choices (especially her rings!!)

is amazing.
 

Her work shows simultaneous delicacy and

deliberateness that's been translated into metal.

It's an unbeatable combination.

 

 

 

 

She creates a smorgasbord of

cutting edge designs.

Variations on a theme just continue to evolve into ever more strikingly
 beautiful pieces of art to wear jewelry.

The bottom line is that

no two pieces could ever be identical

and the never-ending variations in her work

provide an incredible array of choices.

There is no doubt that her passion

and her torch will always be sparked

by her never-ending inspiration.

More of her exquisite jewelry can be

seen at Marne Ryan's website.

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Exhibition - Andrea Williams Jewelry

We admire artists who are fully committed

to a personal conviction

to create socially and environmentally

responsible jewelry.

During the month of September,

Patina Gallery in

Santa Fe, New Mexico is hosting

an exhibition of jewelry created by

Andrea Williams called "Stones."

 She's an artist whose work

is devoted to creating jewelry

 that does no harm

to the environment. Every aspect of her focus

 is very eco-conscious

 and her work focuses on the use of beach stones.

 By using recycled/reclaimed

precious metals and lab-created gemstones 

she makes the statement that she will not

 participate in the industrial mining

 of gems and metals from the earth.

 

Her process begins by collecting beach stones

 found along the shoreline.  Using 18k gold

 and sterling silver she creates various kinds

 of bezels, links and hinges. She completes

the process by etching the stones,

inlaying precious metals, and

sometimes setting Venetian glass

or gems into them. 

These earrings are lighter than

one might imagine.

Her ideas are expressed on her website,

" . . . jewelry should not be worn as a status symbol,

but should instead bring us closer to the

earth that birthed the materials."

She honors the simple beauty

that nature produces and

enhances that simplicity

with a bit of elegance.

 

It's interesting to know her inspirations are

as simple as walking on the beach and studying

the details and patterns in the rocks.

 Patina Gallery describes her work as,

"Using beach stones combined with silver and high karat gold, Williams creates works of jewelry practically crafted by Nature herself. By embellishing the stones with a very light touch, she allows the stones their own voice."

This exhibit will run from

September 2nd through September 25th.

For more information you can visit

the 'Stones' exhibit page at

 the Patina Gallery website.

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Lacy & Dainty Jewelry by Amy C. Mackay

We have recently become aware

of some lovely jewelry

designed by Amy C. Mackay.

Her one-of-a-kind works

are made to resemble nests and

this inspiration carries through

her entire jewelry line as well as

a line of sculptural vessels.

The time and energy

devoted to her work rewards

all of us with beautiful, elegant objects

 that simply exude delicacy and texture.

Here's a great example of what
we're talking about.

 

Each intertwined concave

surface provides immense texture

and interest.

Yet, they're so dainty and romantic.

   

These sweet little numbers may look fragile

but they're not.

We appreciate her

delicate manipulation of fine metal wires

to create pieces that are lacy

yet strong at the same time.

 

We find Amy's work to be rather

creative and imaginative.

We'd love to know what you think.

Feel free to leave us a comment.

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Marta Mattsson Jewelry

The first time we saw

jewelry created by Märta Mattsson

we felt intense curiosity.

She incorporates things like dead insects and
animal skins along with metal, resin,

 gems and stones into
her handcrafted work.

This jewelry is inspired by the artist's

childhood memories of the animal

and insect world around her. Things that

once caused fear or revulsion

have now become a source of inspiration

and creativity for her work.

She translates her memories and fantasies
into jewelry and invites people to experience

and marvel at the transformations.

She describes her work as follows:

Sometimes I see beauty in things that other people find strange or are even repulsed by. I become fascinated when there is something you do not want to see and the feeling you get when you do not want to look at something, yet you still do. My jewellery deals with the tension that lies between attraction and repulsion. I take seemingly inappropriate materials, making ordinary and familiar objects seem extraordinary and unfamiliar.

Her Rebirth series is fascinating and

eerie at the same time.

Here is a brooch made with a cicada, cubic zirconias,
silver, lacquer, resin and steel.

This brooch incorporates laser-cut calfskin and silver.

The delicacy is remarkable.

This necklace includes

butterflies, goatskin, nylon thread and gold.

Fascinating, disturbing, gorgeous.

This jewelry elicits many emotional reactions.

The craftsmanship is impeccable.

The creativity is amazing.

The final products are works of art.

What else can one say?

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Suzan Rezac Jewelry

Some artists are renowned for their
meticulous, detail-oriented work.
Suzan Rezac is one of these artists.
She is best known for her
metal inlay work but all
of her various collections of jewelry
exhibit the highest standards of detail,
precision and quality.

Her metal inlay work features a
smorgasbord of metals and alloys,
and each contributes its own
beauty and charm to the whole.
Her jewelry can feature silver,
various carats of gold to achieve
multiple nuances of color,
bronze, brass, copper, and
alloys such as shakudo which is
comprised of roughly
4% gold and 96% copper,
and shibuichi which is usually
comprised of
25% silver and 75% copper.
These alloys are easily patinated
to allow for an increased range of
color and effect.

All of these metals are combined by the
artist and her pieces are often
comprised of several hundred
individual pieces of inlay.
The sheer amount of labor
is astounding.
The results are fantastic.

 

Her "Wreath" necklace is an excellent example
of the variety of metals that are inlaid. 
It features shibuichi,
18K red, yellow and green gold,
shakudo, copper, brass, and bronze.

 

 

 

Her "Hibiscus" pendant/brooch features silver,

shakudo, shibuichi, and 18K gold.

This necklace entitled "Seafloor" is another
of our favorites.   It features
shakudo, 18K gold, shibuichi, and silver.

This work is even more amazing when one
considers that each design has to be
created twice - once to create the
negative spaces and once again
to fill those spaces with individual
pieces of inlay.

It's a mind-bogglingly laborious
endeavor and lovely beyond measure.

We're inspired!

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Isabelle Posillico Jewelry

Sometimes it's all about gorgeous gemstones.

Gloriously-colored jewels set in a matrix of metal.

And while often the metal matrix
can serve as mere background, 
easily ignored when compared
with the richness of the gem clusters,
at other times the metal is just as
spectacular and multidimensional
in impact as the gems.
The total effect can be
symphonic.

We admire works of art created
 by Isabelle Posillico specifically
because they are composed of many
 luscious gems each harmoniously
punctuated by equally strong notes 
of 14k, 18k and 22k gold.

We see her work not only as having been
created by a jeweler but as having been
composed as though by a musician.
She handcrafts these wearable treasures
using precious and semi-precious
stones and pearls with accents of gold
 that all seem to play together as a symphony.


For us, each precious gem represents
a note in a musical composition
and each harmonizes with the others
for balance and depth. Like notes in a melody,
 she creates music in her work and each
 piece presents itself as a
variation on a theme.

 
The artist has several series that are
dynamic and composed of melodious
elements with staccato rhythms.

Here's an example from
her Conga Line series
made with pearls, tourmaline,
chysocolla, blue topaz, diamond, opal,
and various karats of gold.

and here's a pendant from the same series

As a counterpoint to all that syncopation,
we adore this necklace featuring a solo
performance of one kunzite stone.
Supporting players include diamonds,
 pink tourmalines, pink sapphires, garnets and gold
accompanied by pearls.


 

 

We also enjoy her Dance Partners series
featuring asymmetrical designs yet
perfectly balanced compositions.

This is one of our favorites.

Made with pearls, aquamarines, pink & green
tourmalines and various karats of gold.

And this pair features

garnets, chalcedony, pink sapphires,

and tanzanite with various karats of gold.

There is so much to admire in this work. 

We admire the magnificent gem choices.

We admire the fact that
the metal is not subservient to the
 intensity of color and
preciousness of the gems.

We admire the
tempos and rhythms of
each composition.



Each piece is a performance of
timeless grace and beauty.


 They hit the right note every time.

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Clare Hillerby Jewelry

We love the swirls and flourishes

of old-fashioned handwriting.

Old letters and manuscripts,
worn and outdated, are quaint
relics from a different time.

Jewelry made by Clare Hillerby is
created from these old elements. 
We like her photographic vignettes

 that capture moments of time in
metal and paper ephemera.
Through her eyes we see something
worthless and transitory

 become something
 treasured and permanent.

The artist explains her work on her website:

Handwriting forms the starting point for my jewellery. Old papers with handwritten messages are sourced, postcards, letters, envelopes, and documents, along with other ephemera; stamps, linen maps and sepia photographs. Sections are extracted; messages become ambiguous, they are then combined with new metalwork, to create new contemporary stories. Contrasts of writing styles, scale, character, line, shape and colour are all important features, as are other opposites such as precious and non-precious, old and new. The papers are layered with oxidised silver with perspex on top and secured together with gold tube rivets. Semi-precious beads are added for texture and colour.

Here are some of our favorite pieces
from her collection.

This collage brooch is called
"Brooch from a Book Seller." 

It's made with sterling silver, gold, various paper
items, (ie postcards, photograph, stamp, map),
and a clear acrylic resin.

We also like this piece called

"Necklace with Found Elements."

It's made with sterling silver, gold, papers

(postcards & stamp), clear acrylic resin,

mother-of-pearl buttons, and sapphires.

 

We also like these oval earrings.



 

 

It's easy to find appreciation

and enthusiasm for jewelry

that brings new interest

and value to something

many would merely discard.

 

It is precisely because each piece

begins its life with old handwriting

and other old documents

that we find this contemporary

jewelry rather charming with its

distinct old-fashioned flavor.

 

Enjoy!

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Diana Widman Jewelry

Jewelry created by Diana Widman

evokes a sense of movement and a

great deal of texture. Of all her styles

of work, our favorites revolve around

her Linen Collection – a collection

of fabricated jewelry that actually has

the look of rippled fabric.

With a background in printmaking

and bookbinding, Diana has long held

a love for paper and fabric, as well as

 the tools and processes one uses

 to work with them.

So, it’s understandable that when she

discovered metalsmithing, her passion for

paper and fabric would become extremely

evident in her metal work.

By using a technique such as fold forming

she creates rippling surfaces and 

roughened textures that look like undulating,

silky fabrics. It's jewelry that provides

 a sense of movement and

an impression of texture.

Here are a few examples

of her work.

This cuff is made with sterling silver.

 

Here we see a

14KT yellow gold cuff set with diamond accents.

 

These earrings are made from 18KT green gold

 with diamond accents.

 

We are inspired by artists who develop work

based on the cross-pollination of ideas

and techniques.

Something new and different emerges

from these fascinating efforts.

In this instance, by making hard metal

 look like soft fabric

we cross a threshold with the artist

into a new realm of beauty,

style and discovery.

Enjoy!

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Julie Jerman-Melka

The first time we experienced
jewelry created by Julie Jerman-Melka
we had an emotional experience.
The sensuality, the delicacy,
the tenderness we saw in her pieces
resonated with us immediately.

This jewelry is inspired by the artist's

childhood memories of the natural

world around her.

She takes those memories,

renders them in metal,

and from those humble beginnings
there emerges jewelry of

such delicacy and charm

that we are enchanted by

every piece.

Our favorites revolve around pieces

from her Flora Fauna Collection.

While not specifically modeled on

any particular flower, each piece

is merely reminiscent of the

floral ambiance that the artist

recollects from childhood
experiences and remembrances.

Using sterling silver and 18K gold

she creates each design by 

traditional metalsmithing techniques
and incorporates gems along the way.

The effect evokes a Zen-like purity.

Here is an example of a

brooch from her Flora Fauna Collection.

 

We love to admire the subtle colors found
in these Flora Fauna earrings.

 

This Flora Fauna pendant
is absolutely charming.

We find this jewelry

inspiring with its delicate

colorations and textures.
It's light and almost lyrical.

What do you think?
We'd love to know your thoughts
and reactions, too.

Enjoy!

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