Welcome!Welcome, Friends. Thank you for visiting my website.
I grew up just outside of Boston and have recently returned home to New England after spending almost 30 years in Florida. I live in beautiful downtown Brattleboro, Vermont.
My jewelry adventure began more than 20 years ago in Gainesville, when I went to purchase a vintage volkswagen. At the end of the transaction, the seller, who turned out to be master jeweler Richard Beardsley, told me that he made jewelry and, when I expressed an interest, asked me if I'd like to see his work. When he opened the case, I was just blown away! It was the first time I had ever seen true "art jewelry" and I was amazed by his extraordinary creativity and by his metalsmithing skills, and I knew at that moment that I wanted to learn to make jewelry myself.
Though Dick didn't teach, the next moment of kismet came a few weeks later, when the wrong mail was accidentally delivered to my mailbox. In it there was a brochure for art classes at the University of Florida's Reitz Union, including a metalsmithing class given by jeweler Lucinda Moran. Her description deeply resonated with me, and I knew that this was the person I wanted to learn from. In her class I learned the basics of working with metal and gemstones, and have been self-taught since then.
While in Florida, I had the privilege of being a juried member of the Gainesville Artisans' Guild, the second-oldest artists' cooperative in the country, for nearly 20 years. Here in New England, I have recently been admitted as a juried member of the venerable League of New Hampshire Craftsmen.
I design and create my handmade sterling silver and gemstone jewelry in my home studio, using traditional fabrication techniques of texturing, forming, forging, soldering, stone setting and finishing. To me, earthy, organic, hand-wrought shapes and textures, combined with beautiful natural gemstones, symbolize the essential, primeval energies of life and hearken back to a simpler time in our complex human journey. And just as I am inspired to create jewelry that reflects the beauty around me, so I hope that each piece may in turn be an inspiration for others and a talisman for love, truth, hope and peace.
Lisa
My Studio:
