Garden Series Jewelry
These pieces began as a tribute to my mother, a celebration of the beautiful backyard gardens she tended and my memories of the first art lessons she gave me arranging flowers together.
Process
The branches are cast in sterling from sticks and twigs I pick up on walks. The twig is encased in plaster, and burned out in a hot kiln. Using centrifugal casting techniques, the sterling is then melted and spun into the negative cavities. Leaves are hand formed, and attached to the branches.
I like drawing the flowers using cloisonné wire on fine silver or copper, and always, my favorite part is when I begin shading and layering the transparent enamel colors. Once the enamel reaches the top of the wire drawing, it is ground flush using various grits of diamond sanding paper to create a soft luster. The enamel piece is then “set” into a fabricated sterling and fine silver branch frame, with pearls or gemstones to complement the color.