How Do you create your designs?

I hand carve the original design in graphite using traditional engraving tools, spending hours, often days, detailing the carving. With an EDM (electrical discharge machine), the graphite carving is attached to a positive electrode, and a steel block is attached to a negative current. An impression of my carving is burned into the steel block to make the die. Using a 500-ton press together with the die, I coin each piece in fine silver or 20k gold. These pieces are then hand-tooled and polished, forming the base for enameling. It is here where the work is brought to life, adding depth and light with the application of enamel, fine grains of colored glass. Several layers are fused to the metal by firing in a kiln at 1500 F. A final polishing completes the piece, sometimes accented with gold and gems.

Why is there a 2-4 week lead time?

If I have what you ordered in stock I will ship it out right away. All pieces are made by hand, so please allow 2 to 4 weeks for delivery. Some projects may take longer due to the exact nature of your project, my show schedule and the number of orders ahead of yours, vacation schedules and other unplanned life occurrences. If you need a gift delivered by a certain date, I will make every effort to expedite your order, especially during the holidays.

What metals do you work in?

Fine Silver: Fine silver is .999% pure. I have found Fine Silver to be the most compatible of precious metals to enamel on. Fine Silver allows the enamels to be true in color, brilliancy, and transparency. The base for the majority of my work is Fine Silver.
I also enamel on high karat golds such as 18k, 20k and 22k. Special orders can be placed in gold. Please contact me for details.

Gold Settings: Many of my designs can be set in gold. I use 22k bezel to hold the completed enamel piece into a setting. This technique is similar to setting a stone. I use 18k to construct the backplate of the setting.

What is 24kV?

A thin layer of 24k gold is applied to my jewelry as an accent or finishing touch of pure gold. The gold is applied using a low voltage carrier and an ingot of pure gold. This process is done after the piece of jewelry has been enameled.

What choices do you offer concerning earring findings?

I offer French hooks, lever-backs, posts. These are available in: Sterling Silver, 20/14 Gold-Filled, 14k gold and 18k gold. Also available are earrings with stone settings, contact me for special orders.

What is Enamel?

Enamel is the colorful result of fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 degrees Celsius. The powder melts and flows and hardens to a smooth, durable vitreous coating on metal, glass or ceramic. Enamels are made of finely ground glass that’s been modified with metals that give the enamel its color. Color in enamel is obtained by the addition of various minerals, often metal oxides cobalt, praseodymium, iron, or neodymium.

History of Enamel:

Enameling is an old and widely-adopted technology. The ancient Egyptians applied enamels to pottery and stone objects. The ancient Greeks, Celts, Russians, and Chinese also used enameling processes on metal objects. Enameling was also used to decorate glass vessels during the Roman period, and there is evidence of this as early as the late Republican and early Imperial periods in the Levantine, Egypt, Britain and the Black Sea. From more recent history, the bright, jewel-like colors have made enamel a favored choice for designers of jewelry, such as the fantastic eggs of Peter Carl Fabergé, enameled copper boxes of Battersea enamellers, and artists such as George Stubbs and other painters of portrait miniatures. Enameling was a favorite technique of the Art Nouveau jewelers.

Enameling Techniques:

There are several Enameling techniques. I chose to describe the most familiar technique of enameling called 'cloisonne' and the technique that I use, called 'basse-taille'.

Cloisonne':
French for "cell", where thin flat wires are applied on edge to a base metal form. These wires are used to create a design and form raised barriers that contain different areas for enamel application. The wires create partitions (French: cloisons) that act as color-separators. Each cell or cloison is filled with enamel and fired in a kiln. The cloisons help to separate the colors from moving beyond their placement.

Basse-taille: [boss tie]
From the French word meaning "low-cut". The surface of the metal is decorated with a low relief design which can be seen through translucent and transparent enamels. The design can be carved, engraved, stamped or machined. The enamel is applied on-top of the metal surface which is textured or embossed. To create depth in color and light, several layers of enamel are applied. In basse-taille there are no wires or cloisons to hold the enamels in place. The application of enamel, particularly the application of more than one color, is challenging because it requires extreme control and precision.

When I started enameling, I used the more traditional technique of basse-taille which is the application of a "single" color over my carvings. Shading is achieved by adding layers of enamel, and the depth of the carving. I thought I would stretch myself and began to add a variety of colors taking a painter's approach to make the piece more lifelike and giving it a three dimensional quality. Using this technique sets my work apart from the more traditional technique. My carvings come alive especially where fur, feathers, or water are involved.