Custom orders are welcome. Please use the Contact page to initiate a request.
METALS
My jewelry is made with a variety of metals: Argentium, Fine Silver and Gold Filled
Argentium silver is a sterling silver alloy which replaces some of the copper with germanium. The benefit to Argentium is that it is highly tarnish resistant. So the jewelry you purchase will stay brighter, longer.
Fine silver is sometimes referred to as pure silver. It has a distinctively brighter white color and better tarnish resistance than sterling.
Gold filled has a thick, durable layer of real gold fused onto brass resulting in a durable and long-lasting finish that is more substantial than gold plating. Gold filled is available in rose and yellow gold colors.
Fine silver is 99.9% pure silver. Argentium is 94% pure silver. Sterling is 92.5% pure silver.
KEUM BOO
Keum boo is an ancient Korean art form that means "attached gold". I use heat and pressure to merge 24k gold sheet into Argentium or fine silver. The gold molecules become part of the silver, not just a layer on top.
VINTAGE STEEL DIES
Some of my jewelry is made using my 20-ton electric hydraulic press along with copies of vintage steel dies that were originally hand carved by craftspeople in the late 1800’s and 1900’s.
TEXTURE PLATES
My jewelry is all about texture. I see patterns and textures all around me in the Sonoran Desert. Cactus, mountains, flowers and trees are some of my sources of inspiration. Many of my designs use original texture plates that I create like this:
1. Find a photograph of an interesting pattern.
2. Transfer the pattern to a brass plate.
3. Etch the brass plate in a salt water solution. The pattern becomes 3 dimensional.
4. Place metal on top of the brass plate and roll it through a rolling mill. (think pasta roller)
5. The pattern is transferred to the metal. I can then transform the metal into a unique piece of jewelry.
In addition to Texture Plates, I use ordinary objects found in the environment to texture the metal. Some of these are aluminum foil, cement bricks, dried plant fronds, wire mesh, ribbon, paper cutouts and feathers.
KUMIHIMO
Kumihimo is a traditional Japanese artform of making braids and cords. These bead necklaces are made using a disc and eight stands of beads. The beads are wound on plastic bobbins to keep them tidy while weaving. They are intertwined, one at a time to create a long braid. The finished woven bead strands come in two thicknesses (1/3" and 1/2") and a multitude of colors. If you don’t see the color or thickness you would like, contact me. I’m happy to do special orders.
METALS
My jewelry is made with a variety of metals: Argentium, Fine Silver and Gold Filled
Argentium silver is a sterling silver alloy which replaces some of the copper with germanium. The benefit to Argentium is that it is highly tarnish resistant. So the jewelry you purchase will stay brighter, longer.
Fine silver is sometimes referred to as pure silver. It has a distinctively brighter white color and better tarnish resistance than sterling.
Gold filled has a thick, durable layer of real gold fused onto brass resulting in a durable and long-lasting finish that is more substantial than gold plating. Gold filled is available in rose and yellow gold colors.
Fine silver is 99.9% pure silver. Argentium is 94% pure silver. Sterling is 92.5% pure silver.
KEUM BOO
Keum boo is an ancient Korean art form that means "attached gold". I use heat and pressure to merge 24k gold sheet into Argentium or fine silver. The gold molecules become part of the silver, not just a layer on top.
VINTAGE STEEL DIES
Some of my jewelry is made using my 20-ton electric hydraulic press along with copies of vintage steel dies that were originally hand carved by craftspeople in the late 1800’s and 1900’s.
TEXTURE PLATES
My jewelry is all about texture. I see patterns and textures all around me in the Sonoran Desert. Cactus, mountains, flowers and trees are some of my sources of inspiration. Many of my designs use original texture plates that I create like this:
1. Find a photograph of an interesting pattern.
2. Transfer the pattern to a brass plate.
3. Etch the brass plate in a salt water solution. The pattern becomes 3 dimensional.
4. Place metal on top of the brass plate and roll it through a rolling mill. (think pasta roller)
5. The pattern is transferred to the metal. I can then transform the metal into a unique piece of jewelry.
In addition to Texture Plates, I use ordinary objects found in the environment to texture the metal. Some of these are aluminum foil, cement bricks, dried plant fronds, wire mesh, ribbon, paper cutouts and feathers.
KUMIHIMO
Kumihimo is a traditional Japanese artform of making braids and cords. These bead necklaces are made using a disc and eight stands of beads. The beads are wound on plastic bobbins to keep them tidy while weaving. They are intertwined, one at a time to create a long braid. The finished woven bead strands come in two thicknesses (1/3" and 1/2") and a multitude of colors. If you don’t see the color or thickness you would like, contact me. I’m happy to do special orders.
