Modern Heirloom® Fine Jewelry

        Art Nouveau design and the metalwork of the early 1900s has fascinated me since the earliest days of my  career.  Observing the detail and intricacy of t he jewelry crafted by artists such as Rene Laliqu e and Georges Fouquet  ,I'm amazed at what they were able to accomplish at that time. Contemplating this, I found myself inspired to  focus on breaking down the techniques of their creations and mastering each individually .  The first technique to practise was something I had stopped using enough in my own work, The art of my jeweler's saw.  I spent the first week of my challenge focused on  one of the first skills I was introduced to at SCAD. Project one in " Intro to Jewelry" in 1993 which taught us about using our jeweler's saw to pierce out a design.  I still remember what I pierced, two little gecko lizards  in a mirrored design. I realized it was time to become reaquainted with my saw and the amazing detail that very tool brought to many of the piec

The new year is well underway. I have recovered from the madness of being a jeweler during the holidays, enjoyed some r&r, and now it is time to look at what 2010 has in store. I spend my days floating between my jeweler's bench, my design center, our customers. and our gallery. Practicing my craft daily has taught me many things. We are presented challenges which we learn from each day and yet I feel need to focus on improving certain gaps which I realize exist in my mastery of the art of jewelry making. I am fortunate to craft with a partner, my husband Ben Stewart . His technical abilities and focus at the Bench amaze me daily. Of course I naturally have become all too used to leaning on his skills in my own work. My goal therefore is set...to recognize my technical shortcomings and search out the information and practice challenges necessary to improve my skills and focus. This blog will be my study arena. A chronicle of challenges, classes, and research I choose to focus o