Inspired by some antique blown glass buttons, Melissa Schmidt designs stunning blown glass jewelry that is both durable yet lightweight. Elegant and unexpected. The artist: Born in St. Louis, Schmidt grew up in Honolulu and San Francisco, where she attended different colleges, first for metals, then for fashion. After a move to St. Louis, she earned…
Georgia’s Ashley Buchanan draws on historical images when designing her contemporary, powder-coated brass jewelry. The artist: An Atlanta native, Buchanan, graduated from the University of Georgia in 2009 with a BFA in jewelry and metalsmithing. For seven years she lived in Tennessee, where she started her business, before moving back to Georgia. The company: Ashley Buchanan…
Architecture and environment play a part in Kat Cole’s graphic, enamel-on-steel jewelry and sculpture. The artist: The Georgia native, who grew up in Lithia Springs, received her BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and an MFA from East Carolina University. Since then, she has worked as a visiting professor in metals/jewelry at Western Michigan University, taught workshops…
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…
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…
A lifelong interest in the natural world’s colors, forms and textures influences Kate Rothra Fleming’s glass jewelry designs. Background: Grew up in Miami, and as a child traveled around to remote areas of wild Florida with her father and mother, a nature writer. Fleming earned degrees from University of Florida and Rochester Institute of Technology.…