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!

Suzanne Linquist Jewelry

Jewelry created by Suzanne Linquist features

an unusual combination of materials:

 ebony and silver.

The subtle metallic shimmer of silver
complements the intense black of the ebony,
and by joining them together Suzanne
creates a broad range of designs
from a singularly simple palette.

There are so many pieces to see and admire -
here's a pin we simply adore.
It showcases

pierced silver, carved ebony

with a pearl and brass.

We love the incredible symmetry in

these earrings made with ebony

inlaid with silver.

We find inspiration whenever an artist shares

their background, their motivations, or their

serendipitous discoveries along

their journey into the art of

handcrafted jewelry. 

Suzanne's explanation of her unexpected

discovery of a supply of ebony

provides a snapshot for us to share. 

On her website, she explains,

". . . browsing in a hardwood store I noticed a box of black wooden rectangles. When I picked one up, the wood was heavy and felt dense as I rubbed my finger across its dark surface. It was ebony, the salesman told me, and the rectangles were old piano key blanks. I bought the whole box and took it back to my studio. Over the next year, I learned to carve and turn ebony on a mini-lathe to create small sculptural forms for necklaces, earrings, pins and bracelets. Silver glowed and took on new life when I inlaid it directly into the black wood or wound fine shining wires around lathe turned shapes. In turn the silver embellishment brought the ebony sculptural forms to life. "

It's moments like these

that can bring jewelry to life.

Here is another piece we admire.

It's made with

silver, ebony, brass and a pearl.

And here is another.

The idea of making such wonderful
handcrafted jewelry by using
a re-purposed material is both
imaginative and inspiring.

By re-purposing old piano key blanks
into lovely works of wearable art,
Suzanne inspires us with her
choice of materials,
range of designs, and the moods they create.

  Let us know what you think

and what inspires you.

Feel free to share your thoughts.

We'd love to know.