Jewelry

The most personal art.

Suzanne Himmler riverwomandesign.com

I’ve been making jewelry for almost a decade. I believe that a piece of jewelry needs to be beautiful, sensual and well made, but most of all it should make us feel good when we wear it. I specialize in working with fine silver, sterling silver, copper, bronze and gold. I welcome custom requests and will work with you to create a piece that makes you feel good.

I’ve lived all over the US and now consider myself one of the lucky ones to live in this beautiful community, surrounded by mountains, rushing rivers, a strong arts community, great food and fine wine as well as my studio filled with metals, gems and lots of great tools.

Chuck Escott www.escottartgalleries.com

As a Jeweler/Metalsmith, my work consists of commissions as well as custom and production jewelry, hollow-ware, flatware, and sculpture. I have several lines of jewelry in progress, "Frog and Friends", "Mardi Gras Jewelry", "Silver Yuba Cairns","Silver Sails Pendants", "Rare Wood Jewelry", and "Pierced Paua Pendants". I enjoy the challenge of the physical processes of metal-smithing: forging, forming, fabricating and finishing metal. Where possible I employ lost wax casting to achieve a more sculptural quality in some of my pieces. I allow the requirements of these processes to directly influence my designs. I have found inspiration in the clean, pure lines of Scandinavian and German metal work.

Dawn and Peter Fischer www.morningsunjewelry.com

During the past 27 years, we have developed contemporary designs featuring a spectrum of colored gemstones rarely seen from the small craftsperson. For 8 years we owned the jewelry store Northern Mines GoldWorks right here on Mill Street. We travel quite a bit in our business. Our favorite destination during the past 10 years has been to Brazil to select gemstones. It’s part of the business we really enjoy ~ both of us have also visited Tanzania in the past to select rough Tanzanite directly from the mines. Between traveling for colored stones, and living right here where the Quartz and Nuggets come from, we feel very geologically connected to our pieces. Our work has primarily been with 14 and 18K Gold. However, with the changes in the economy in the late 2000’s, we have since developed a great line of sterling silver jewelry, which we are showcasing at Art Works Gallery. Most of our pieces are either one of a kind, or cast from our original molds. All design work and finishing of jewelry is done in our shop.

Linda Kaneko lkaneko0412@gmail.com

I started designing jewelry about three years ago after being given a large amount of beads and findings from a friend. My initial pieces were for personal use and for friends and family. After being told over and over I should sell my pieces, I participated in my first retail sales at Victorian Christmas in Nevada City in 2008. My inspiration comes from many sources and I love experimenting with color combinations as well as finding unique pendants and gemstones to combine. My work is primarily semi-precious gemstones, but I love working with vintage German glass, African trade beads, horn and bone carved pieces from the Far East, contemporary lampwork glass and ceramic beads as well. Many of my pendants are one of a kind from all over the world. I am a member of Banner Mountain Artisans and Nevada County Open Studios tour group as well as a founder and current President of the Art Works Gallery.

Rosemary Stokes rtsbeads@yahoo.com

My love of beads began when teaching macrame to summer camp counselors. From there I went on to designing jewelry using antique Chinese and Indian pendants enhanced by pearls and semi-precious stones. I sold them in the co-operative gallery my husband and I founded in McLean, Virginia after I had taken a sabbatical from teaching to study design. Ten years later we came to live in California. I signed on as a sales rep for a bead company which is a great source for materials and I travel to trade shows to see what is new and different in the jewelry world. My work can be found in England, Canada, Hawaii, Virginia, and now this inspiring new gallery "Art Works.'' I am happy to be here.