Mixtures of Materials - Celie Fago Jewelry

There's so much variety in the jewelry
created by Celie Fago.
She works with both precious metal clay
and polymer clay and highlights
everything with metal work.

The best parts of her work
emerge whenever she creates
unique textures. By layering
multiple processes and multiple materials
 upon one another she constructs pieces
that push creative and technical boundaries.

This pendant provides an example of
her focus on texture.
And I love the delicate calligraphy.

Again, texture is the

predominant effect.

Mixing polymer with metal produces

subtle colorations with striking effect.

Her work evokes a marriage of superb

quality and creative design.

Every piece provides a broad

range of visual interest.

The polymer work is exceptional.

The metal clay work is exquisitely designed.

The overall effect is amazing and inspiring.

And one of the best things about her
artistic journey is that she is willing
to teach all she has learned.

For more images and information
see Celie Fago's website.

Detailed Glass by Mercedes Brugh Jewelry

Mercedes Brugh creates fused glass jewelry
with tons of details.

Each piece is filled with realistic details because she

takes the time to include elaborate amounts of

details in each of her drawings which are
then etched into the glass.

She does this by using computer-aided design
taking 20 hours or more for each drawing.

She explains her processes as follows,

It all starts with my original drawing, which I create using Computer Aided Drawing. CAD is the compulsive's friend, allowing for screaming detail. . . Drawings take twenty or more hours to perfect. Once I'm satisfied with the drawing, I etch the drawing into the metallic coating on dichroic glass. Then I cut other pieces of sheet glass and stack the pieces like a sandwich. I carefully fuse them at 1450°F to achieve a nice melt without turning the cut shapes into blobs. Finally, the schedule I use to cool the glass tempers it.

Here is an example of her newest work.
Each color pops against the black background.

This pendant of an idyllic wooded scene shows the

rich detail she etches into each piece.

and this three-part pendant is
equally detailed

This artist's detailed glass art is
vibrant and brilliant.

There's a lot more to see
 at Mercedes Brugh's website.

Exhibition - Hanging Around: Neckpieces from the MAD Collection

So we've been hearing about the newest

exhibition being held at the

Museum of Arts and Design in NYC called,

 Hanging Around: Neckpieces from the MAD Collection.

Necklaces of all types are on display from 75 artists

and materials range from items

“as unconventional as pig intestines, gun triggers, mustard seeds, LED lighting, black coral, butterfly wings, phone directories, mirrors and lenses. The fabrication techniques employed by the artists are as different as traditional goldsmithing and cutting-edge digital prototyping.”

 Included are iconic pieces such as

 this vibrant creation by sculptural jewelry artist

Marjorie Schick

and an example of the thread paintings created by
 fiber artist Missy Stevens

and this unusual piece by Maria Phillips
made with pig intestine stretched over
a steel frame

There are many more works to view

from such notables as

Arline Fisch, Nancy Worden, Cynthia Toops,
Kiff Slemmons, Joyce Scott, and Liv Blavarp.

This exhibit runs from January 24 to May 21, 2012.

See more at the MAD website.

Style is in the Details - Genevieve Flynn Jewelry

With metalsmithing skills that are impeccable and
 designs that are meticulous and sophisticated,
it's easy to admire the luscious jewelry
created by Genevieve Flynn.

Her work spans several collections and
while each is intriguing and charming
 in its own way, I find myself enamored with 

her Flower Ring collection the most.

These pieces are positively luminous!

My favorite ring happens to be this one

made with sterling silver petals

 with a tourmaline set in the center.

It's so beautiful it looks like

 it was just picked from the garden.

This gorgeous light-blue enamel flower is also
made with silver petals. By including color
and a freshwater pearl it makes a
completely different statement.

And this vibrant ring features enamel on fine-silver

petals that are sweetly nestled within

textured copper outer petals.

There's so much vitality in this jewelry

it's rather easy to forget that these blossoms

began their lives as metal. 

And there's a lot more to see at Genevieve Flynn's website.

Re-Using the Old to Create the New - McKenna Hallett Jewelry

Sometimes it's one's mission to contribute in ways

that go beyond the ordinary.

Using only found, reclaimable materials

McKenna Hallet re-uses things like

roofing, gutters, radiators parts, plumbing components,

airplane engine parts and electrical discards.

Her mission statement

encapsulates the essence of her work in jewelry,

I want to create objects of art with a minimum of impact ON OUR PLANET and to this end I will never use electricity or heat or corrosive chemicals to construct my jewelry and I will use as few items as possible from newly manufactured sources.

She also went on to tell me,

I burn NO fossil fuels: no heat, solder, torches, electricity, zero energy is used.  I believe that is what makes the work compelling . . . and the one hope is for each piece to be an ambassador of my message: REDUCE, REUSE, RETHINK and recycle only when you have no other option. It is my raison d'être for creating my line.



Even without knowing her motivations for creating jewelry,

her work is intriguing, superbly-crafted and fun.

 For instance, the naturally-occurring corrosion

process that happens in copper can produce

wonderfully striking effects.

This pendant is a great example.

An aluminum bangle becomes a study in simplicity.

McKenna captures the essence of

the old and revitalizes 

that energy into delightful earrings

made from used radiator parts.

Finding the beauty in scraps of material from

demolition sites and local junk yards,

and salvaging those tidbits

is the essence of this artist's work.

And it's beautiful work.

There is a lot more information and great images

to see at McKenna Hallett's website.

Transforming Paper into Jewelry - Francesca Vitali

By repurposing paper, books and magazines with her own weaving techniques, Francesca Vitali creates vibrant, innovative jewelry.  Transforming these ordinary materials into beautiful designs becomes a form of alchemy.

Francesca explains,

In ancient times, alchemists have been ambitiously trying to convert common matter into gold. Sharing this grand aspiration, I strive to transform paper, a humble and ordinary material, into precious objects of original and modern design. . . I enjoy the idea that fragments of our lives will remain trapped in my paper jewelry. . . In my most recent work, I . . . mix traditional metalsmithing approaches with embroidery, weaving, or tramp art. These techniques are revisited to confer my productions a unique signature. When I design a new piece, I found myself following aesthetic principles based on clean lines, repeated patterns, and geometric shapes. I also pay very close attention to colors which often become the focal point of my design.

This oxidized copper bracelet features her woven paper technique. The delightful paradox of combining paper and copper becomes a work of art that's also fun to wear.

This pendant features another of her original designs. The meticulous work and imaginative design translates into a piece filled with color, texture and motion.

This piece is especially interesting because individual words and letters can be seen in the recycled paper.

Repurposed materials can be transformed into upcycled jewelry in the hands of the right artist. This artist has those fortunate hands.  See more luscious photos at  Francesca Vitali's Facebook page.

Working from the Basics - Wendy Newman Jewelry

Jewelry created by Wendy Newman is a visual feast. As a lapidary and metalsmith Wendy finds many of her own raw stones and cuts them herself to create vibrantly-colored gemstones that she then showcases with exquisite settings.

As she describes on her website,

“It is always a challenge for me to balance the visual weight of the stone with the complexity of the metal work. It also provides a visual irony between the organic quality of the stone and the industrial quality of the metalwork.“

This lovely pendant features an Australian opal that she highlights with peridot, apatite, sapphire and a London blue topaz.

This piece focuses on a black druzy quartz that is punctuated with red, orange and yellow sapphires in a sterling silver and 18k gold setting.

This double-layered pendant in sterling and 18k gold is a showcase for a druzy quartz, imperial topaz, andalucite, and sapphire.  I especially like being able to see within the setting to the other side.

The interplay of gemstones and metals are a fearless mix of unusual patterns and shapes - they just make me want to keep looking at them.


There is a lot more information and images to be seen at Wendy Newman's website.

Fresh - Exhibition in Print

The current exhibition at the National Ornamental Metal Museum in Memphis, Tennessee is called, "Fresh - Exhibition in Print."  It runs from December 9, 2011 to March 4, 2012.

This particular exhibit is described as "from the pages of Metalsmith magazine, comes a juried exhibition of work produced since 2009. Metalsmith magazine is a publication of the Society of North American Goldsmiths."

Despite the rather enigmatic description, this exhibition does feature work that we would characterize as new, different and, yes, fresh.  Work from the following 30 artists was selected for inclusion in this exhibit: 

Stevie B., Suzanne Beautyman, Nikky Bergman, Jim Bové, Namu Cho, Jennifer Crupi,
Adriane Dalton, Sidney Caldwell Deaghlan, Anja Eichler, Aliyah Gold, Kevin Hughes,
Minwon Kim, Andrew Kuebeck, Robert Longyear, Timothy McMahon, Andrea Miller,
Edgar Mosa, Seth Papac, Mary Hallam Pearse, Ryan Peters, Sara Pfau, Devin Ragotzy,
Katie Rearick, Sondra Sherman, Natalie Smith, Amy Tavern, Stephanie Tomczak,
Jennifer Trask, Andrea Wagner, Amy Weiks & Gabriel Craig.

Here are a couple of images from this exhibition.

This is called 'Swag Neckpiece' by Jennifer Trask.

The following piece is called 'Ornamental Hands' by Jennifer Crupi.

With a finger on the pulse of what is fresh in design, materials, and techniques, this is an opportunity to see a wide variety of work that is out of the ordinary.

Fresh: Exhibition in Print will be on display until March 4, 2012.  For more information you can visit the Metal Museum website.