Raleigh’s Sarah Tector treats jewelry as small-scale sculpture. Her pieces catch the eye when on the body. Or not. The company/studio: S. Tector Metals is in Raleigh, where Tector works out of her home studio. A metalsmith for 28 years, she has focused solidly on her business for the last 11 years. The artist: Born in…
Widely known for her metal mesh designs, Alabama’s Sarah Cavender handcrafts high-style jewelry and accessories that are wearable works of art. The company: Sarah Cavender Metalworks is in an historic area of Oxford, AL. The company’s building has production space in the back and upstairs. There is a little shop open to the public. She…
North Carolina’s Kathy King hand sews thousands of tiny glass beads to construct her intricate and innovative jewelry. The artist: King grew up on Long Island, NY, and earned her industrial engineering degree from Lehigh University in 1991. She served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force after school and moved to Cary, NC, in…
In her jewelry designs, Florida’s Hannah Long balances bold and delicate while adding keenly observed details and touches. The artist: Long grew up in St. Louis and studied sculpture at Portland State University. She lived in Atlanta, Detroit and New York before moving to Florida. In 2014, after taking a metalsmithing class at the Boca…
In her sculptural jewelry, North Carolina metalsmith Anna Johnson balances raw and refined, edgy and elegant. The artist: Born in Charlotte, NC, Johnson grew up interested in nature and jewelry making. She graduated with a degree in studio art with a focus on metalsmithing from Appalachian State University. She lives and works in Asheville. The…
Brandi Couvillion tells a story of New Orleans in her contemporary and historically inspired jewelry. The artist: A New Orleans native, Couvillion graduated from Tulane University and studied woodworking and jewelry at the Penland (NC) School of Craft and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine. Later, while working as the CFO for a New Orleans…
Self-taught jeweler Julie Cohn describes her work as primitive modern, juxtaposing rough with refined. The company: Julie Cohn Design, based in Dallas, started in 2010. It is the name of Cohn’s jewelry collection but also encompasses collaborative projects with other artists, architects and designers. The artist: Cohn grew up in Tulsa and was educated as…
Atlanta’s Trecy Bleich never thought about making jewelry until she wandered into a craft store. Now the self-taught designer’s own architectural and sculptural pieces can be found in museum shops and chic boutiques around the country. The artist: Bleich grew up in Summertown, Ga., and graduated from Savannah State University with a marketing degree. In…
Ben Ross has always enjoyed the woods and waterways of the South. So for his wedding 13 years ago, the South Carolina native decided to create a gift that reflected his appreciation of the outdoors. Ross, who grew up using feathers to tie fishing flies, crafted turkey feather bow ties for his groomsmen. The handsome…
In college, Megan Clark had a passion for fashion. But after taking a metals class, she changed her mind. And her major. Now the North Carolina artist is well-known for her timeless and modern jewelry designs. The artist: Born in Guam, Clark spent most of her childhood in Durham, NC. After graduating from the Savannah…