Romance in Metal - Valerie Ostenak Jewelry

Sometimes I dream about

the gorgeous jewelry created

by Valerie Ostenak.

Her work is so beautiful

it takes my breath away and

 sets my unconscious mind

into overdrive. 

It's easy to interpret my dreams --

I want to wear this jewelry!

 

Fluid and flowing designs are

brought to life in metal.

Her collections celebrate

the contours and shapes suggested by all sorts

 of complex forms found in nature,

such as raging rivers, swaying branches

and delicate tendrils of flowers.

Also, one can see Art Nouveau

influences in her work.

 

 

 

Her Elemental Collection features

silver, argentium silver, 14k gold, freshwater pearls,

gemstones and Swarovski crystals

in myriad curvilinear designs.

 

 

 

 

 

Each piece overflows with movement and energy

and an enchanting play of light on metal.

 

 

 

 

Skilled as both a blacksmith

and as a metalsmith she combines techniques

from both disciplines

to create this sculptural jewelry.

 

 

In her Garland Collection she incorporates

freshwater pearls, glass and/or Swarovski crystals,

silver and/or 14k gold with mild steel.

The steel gives this collection bold

emphasis and structural design.

Her work is an ongoing dialogue between

her blacksmith forging techniques, her

silversmith craftsmanship and her

design skills in art jewelry.

Each is superb.

 

Much of the charm and beauty of

these pieces lie in the wonderful variations

of form, shape and feel

that this artist offers.

These variations are seen in

her bracelets and earrings also.

But most of all,

this artist infuses her work with

the essence of romance.
And you can't go wrong with Romance.

For many more images of this

lovely work you can visit her

website.

Jaclyn Davidson Jewelry

Hand forging is an ancient art

that Jaclyn Davidson uses to

create her jewelry.

The image of a metalsmith who uses

extreme heat to hammer and shape

metal leads to the image of this artist who

takes that energy and effort to

create pieces that evoke an impression

of delicacy and softness.

By directly manipulating the metal with pliers,

hammer and heat, the artist bends, stretches and

shapes the metal to do her bidding.

Her botanically-themed

jewelry resembles the soft tendrils and

delicate curves found in nature. Her work seems

to have life imbued into each piece.

Hand forging is time consuming. Working with

gold, sterling silver or steel, each piece must be

created and completed before moving on to

the next piece.  And so each has to be

different in some way from all the others; even

repetitively making the same thing over and over

one can't help but make them all unique. 

Let's look at some of her charming pieces.

This is exquisite. 

So delicate and strong at the same time.

Here we have more sweet tendrils. 

  

 These gingko leaves seem so fragile.

  Lots of detail work can be seen in this piece. 

 

Much of the charm and warmth of handwrought

jewelry come from the subtle variations in form,

shape and feel that hand crafting offers.

The true beauty of hand-forged jewelry is that

you can see the hand of the metalsmith in each piece.

That's what we love about handcrafted work -

it's obvious when an artist loves what they do.  

 

Enjoy!