Modern Heirloom® Fine Jewelry

  Drawing became a passion of mine at age nine. It was my "natural talent"which required little thought and sketching came easily. At 17,  I packed my bags and headed to Savannah College of Art and Design to become "an artist". It was after my first two foundation years that jewelry came into my world. I was hooked. I loved the balance between process , creativity, and invention. As an artist, I was always equally if not more fascinated by the process of creating as with the conceptual aspects. Jewelry Design and creation  fulfilled this fascination so completely.  The inspiration to design and time to make interweave themselves so seamlessly each day in the goldsmithing shop it allows for each wave of the creative process to have its moment. 20 years and a blink of the eye after my venturing into jewelry making , I am excited to be launching my latest series. "Sketched and Engraved" finds the perfect balance between illustration and metalworking.

I read an article in JCK which got me thinking...as I felt inspired to comment there I wanted to share my response with you all here as well.The article discussed how new technology is making it easier and easier to copy a design and reproduce it....here are a few of my thoughts on the challenge this presents us designers...;-) Of course, I agree that there is no replacing a good finish and technique but too often I am afraid the value of the earliest moments of conception can be dramatically overlooked. The price tag wins out with the majority of people and they don't even think of a knock off as "copyright" infringement ... This was proven to me recently at our custom jewelry shop ...I was speaking with a writer who had visited and I noticed the ring she was wearing as the design was recognizable. I asked if she got it from the jeweler I knew it from. She said she took their ad to a jeweler in Ny and had the design copied... Later in her visit, I was giving her demons

Exactly one month has past since the day I pulled out of town on an evacuation route to avoid the path of Hurricane Irene. Completely for the amusement of a "hurrication" as I had dubbed the trip to Asheboro , NC. I have grown up in the path of many a storm and have never untill now been touched by one truly.      The phoenix is a mythical bird with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet. Near the end of it's life it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again.... Which is precisely what we plan to do. This month has been a surreal path. From an adventure to escape a storm I never thought would hurt, to the reality of our studio and gallery's momentary destruction a day later. I was reminded of the days we bagan in this little old farmhouse as I walked into our flooded gallery. Fourteen years of renovating and b

     Sketching helps inspire the mind  Today as I approached the table of many parts,I was beckoned by these lovely little sterling leaf shapes and some silver wire which had been partially forged. They were asking for completion and I was in the mood for a stream of conscious creative session. One of those days where I throw the rigidity of predestined design rules out the window and rely on technique and instinct. Once I have selected my pieces, I begin with sketching to get the creative juices flowing. My intention is not to make these sketches (at least not today) but forging the silver to evolve it's shape  to get my mind working in a general direction to take my pendants in today. Keep in mind my goal...no particular design.   Polishing and cleaning          Feeling inspired, I begin to work.This is the Stream of Conscious part...much like the writing assignment we all know from grade school. My goal is just keep moving and don

pictured below:Illustration by Kathryn Holton Stewart www.silverbonsai.com I first discovered the beauty of hand engraving 5 years ago when I came across a class at Blaine Lewis ' New Approach School for Jeweler's . New Approach was introduced to me when Ben, my husband, studied Advanced Stone Setting under Blaine's instruction . The techniques offered and the p hilosophy of the school was so impressive we were hooked. When I spied a course on Hand Engraving I was completely intrigued and had to check it out. Drawing has been a part of my art since I was 8 . To bring illustration to my metalwork was an exciting concept. I signed up immediately and was fortunate to study under Jason Marchiafava. Jason is a third generation Artist and Craftsman by trade. He began his training metalsmithing and stone setting at a very young age under the supervision of Jeweler Tina May Shiele, the head jeweler of his father and grandfathers shop. By the time Jason graduated High School his s

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