What Is My Creative Process?

Some of you may be wondering how I go about creating a piece of jewelry or sculpture. What is my creative process? To be honest, it changes depending on what I am doing. I find most of the difference lays between pieces that incorporate stones and pieces that are mostly metal.


With pieces that is mostly or purely made from metal, I usually tend to think about the idea first. I figure out what my inspiration is, make little drawings and sketches, as well as some research. For instance, when a customer came to me with the idea of creating brooches shaped as thorns, I immediately started my research on thorns. She wanted them on a scale that required hollow forming and I needed to find shapes that would work in a hydraulic press. I also had to do some test pieces on copper before really getting into it, just to figure out any quirks.


However, when it comes to pieces that incorporate stones, the stones become the inspiration and centerpiece. The shape of the stone defines a lot of what will happen with the piece and what other elements might be paired with it. Will it be a ring? A bracelet? A necklace or earrings? What other shapes complement it? Will a patina complement the color, or enhance the piece?


Sometimes I start by just making the bezel for a stone, and let it sit with the stone propped in it for a while until an idea comes to me that makes sense. Then it's about piecing it together and making sure it flows.