Website and Shopping

The website is purely a representation of my work. A call and a visit to the studio are the best ways to explore availability and shop current designs. While visits in the studio are by appointment, I am honored to have a small retail presence in the gift shop at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts as well.

There are no prices listed on the website. A starting point is the foundation hoop earring that all of my drops go onto. They are 18kyg, ½” diameter, and are $650 a pair.

Commissions  

I can no longer accept custom work in order to keep up with demand for inventory and my desire to create new work with all the stones I have hoarded over the years.

Materials 

I work with 18 karat European golds, Palladium, Platinum, and hand selected gemstones of all sorts. With the exception of the ideal cut diamonds that I use for their intense sparkle, I look not necessarily for perfection in stones, but for beauty and uniqueness. I use a sandblaster to give a matte finish on most of my work, putting a natural casualness and subtle focus on the design of the piece. 

How long does it take to make a piece? 

This is the most common question and the hardest one to answer.  Some designs take years to ponder, play with and develop. Others come more easily. Some days at the bench are smooth and productive, and some are ridiculously frustrating. Depending on the many factors involved in the process, pieces can take hours, days, weeks or months to fabricate. My good friend Ray says “Jewelry is something that takes a long time to get right. Integrating technical skills into one’s own sense of style and design occurs over time.”

Care and Cleaning

Finger oils, lotions, and soap scum kill the sparkle of diamonds and the dull the allure of sandblasted gold. The key is to clean often. Do not ever use antibacterial gel; it hardens like a rock under your stones and you will need to leave it with me or another jeweler for days to get it out. I recommend dipping or soaking in a solution of 50% Windex to 50% water and using a soft toothbrush to scrub, then a rinse with water and dry. Doing this daily if possible will keep your jewelry looking great!

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