Carolyn Morris Bach Jewelry

Sometimes jewelry is
thought provoking.
That's how I feel about
the work created by
Carolyn Morris Bach.

Over the years I’ve come across her jewelry

again and again, and I feel drawn to her

instantly recognizable work

which is dominated by a strong

mysterious earth-goddess motif.

This feminine figure is frequently accompanied

 by symbolic creatures from the animal kingdom

including owls, rabbits, deer, bears and foxes.

 

Using all natural materials such as

wood, bone, metal and stone

this artist builds each of her pieces

one at a time, and each

 piece tells its own magical story.

yes, the owls are my favorite

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carolyn Morris Bach's creative jewelry

may not actually

bestow magic upon the wearer.

But then again maybe it will.

 

See more of her work at her website.

 

Stingray Skin Jewelry by Carla Reiter

Carla Reiter’s original collection of jewelry is unmistakable.

Knitting metal freehand, using pliers and fingers,

each piece is a labor of love.

Her knitted silver, gold, and copper pieces

incorporate diamonds, pyrite, and precious stones.

She has now created a new collection

made with stingray leather that

she dyes and patinates.

The collection is called Shagreen and

it's the roughness of the stingray skin that lends

itself so well to this jewelry.

It creates a mottled, granular effect.

I especially like how the pebbly texture of the

stingray skin gives an eye-catching mosaic effect.

You can see more of this innovative work

at Carla Reiter's 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.

Exhibition of Art Jewelry - Marilyn da Silva

Exhibitions of art jewelry are always

memorable events. Taboo Studio recently held

 an exhibit of new work created by eight jewelry

artists revolving around the theme of birds.

Titled "Bird by Bird" this exhibit

featured work by Marilyn da Silva,

Christina Goodman, Gabrielle Gould, Judith Hoyt,

Rika Mouw, Rone Prinz, Sarah Wilbanks,

and Kristi Zevenbergen

In this post we'd like to showcase

the work of one of these artists:

Marilyn da Silva.

It was very apropos that

she be a part of this show since

her body of work has been inspired

for more than a decade

by all things ornithological.

 Her pieces are rich and lush and tell

specific stories that are augmented

by her personal philosophy.

Here are her words regarding the

 brooches that are part

of this particular exhibition.

These brooches focus on the songbird family known as warblers. They are often difficult to see with the naked eye, but they can fill the air with song. These small treasures along with other songbirds are diminishing in number because of insecticides, feral cats and the loss of their environment due to human intervention. Hopefully, their beautiful songs will continue to enchant us throughout time.

We feel this brooch is one of her prettiest.

Called "Serenata III (Bay Breasted Warbler)."

It features materials such as textured sterling silver

and copper handpainted with gesso and colored pencil.

 It's an example of her wonderful designs

that could easily be displayed as art but

 also happens to be wearable as jewelry.

Here's another lovely example of her work.

This brooch is called "Serenata I

 (American Redstart)."

And this brooch is called "Serenata II

(Black and Yellow Spotted Warbler)."

It's just as delicate and lovely

as the others.

This artist is a master at using nontraditional

coloring techniques on textured metals, and it's

 her immense skill and talent that allows each piece

 to seem alive with subtle, exquisite details.

Who could resist?

Lauren Pollaro Jewelry

A dear friend of ours recently sent us

a photo of work created by assemblage

artist Lauren Pollaro.  She knew we would really

enjoy seeing this particular piece of jewelry

and she was right!  We were immediately

intrigued by the choices of color, texture

and design. Everything just seems to

work together effortlessly.

We like the handmade aesthetic that is

apparent in her work - it provides a strong sense

of connection to her creative process.

This artist's forte is creating harmonious

sculptural jewelry using various mixed materials.

Acrylic paints, sterling silver, semi-precious

stones, and found objects are often

 included in her work. Her pieces also feature

such disparate elements as

vitreous enamels, collage, and epoxy resin.

It seems like she uses almost anything

in her abstract compositions.

And the effects are all beautiful.

Here is a brooch/pendant made with

copper, sterling silver, and acrylic paints.

We especially like the sgraffito-like effect

she creates on the various surfaces.

We also find this piece interesting - it features

found objects, plastic, a twig,

sterling silver and paint.

There are many pieces in her collection

to admire.

This necklace includes many elements

including wood,

epoxy resin and pearls.

This one incorporates enamel on copper.

We're inspired by how

her eclectic selection of materials

just seems to come together effortlessly.

But we know that work that appears

effortless rarely is as effortless as it seems.

For those who are intrigued

by delightful colors, layered compositions,

and the handmade aesthetic this artist

successfully combines all this and

more to create sculptural works of art

meant to be worn as jewelry.

Enjoy!

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!