Conflict-Free Diamonds are a Jewelry Designer’s Best Friend
byLauren Moody wears a necklace made from a sliver of meteorite. It’s her everyday piece. When she smiles and stretches out her hand for…
Jewelry
Behind Every Stone is a Complex Molecular Backstory
byErica Stankwytch Bailey’s earliest art project was shaded by science. “When I was probably six years old, I would take my crayons and a…
This is the Best Argument Yet for that End-of-the-Rainbow Myth
byMany assume gold comes from within the earth. But the truth, supported by science, is way more cosmic. Jewelry artist David Vrooman says gold…
Jewelry Designer’s Pioneer Story is a Limited-Edition Gem
byPaula Dawkins does 99 percent of her jewelry-design work on a computer. But the first idea is always a drawing, to be found somewhere…
From the First Day, his Jewelry Career was Set in Stone
byMost makers chase various muses en route to a career. Not Roberto Vengoechea. “I was born to do this,” says the jewelry designer. “I…
His Work is über-Meticulous, but his Studio is a Raging Hot Mess
byPatrick Ober of Ober Metalworks has worked with metals since 1992. But while most machinists use computerized pneumatic tools, Ober does everything manually, with…
Jewelry Designer’s Career Was Written in Stone Sixty Years Ago
byIt was on a summer trip with his family to Western North Carolina in the early 1950s that an eight-year-old boy from Tennessee made…
His Rigorous Approach Yields Work of Deceptive Delicacy
byMonty Phillips enjoys being in control of his own education. He says he’s long been attracted to the meticulous techniques of Japanese art —…
His Found Objects End Up in Keepsake Boxes
byStanding in the middle of the stream, Jason Janow tucks his fly rod under his arm, reaches into the water, and picks up a…
The Bees Showed Her What All the Buzz Was About
byLots of folks claim they felt “called” to move to Asheville. For Beatriz “Bea” Lothrop, the reasons were vague, but the impulse was urgent….