Artfully Elegant — Handmade Jewelry & Handcrafted Gifts

Elaine Butcher grew up in Denver and studied in Oregon before finishing her fine arts degree in metalworking and glassblowing at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. Elaine enjoys the trial and error of comfort and design in making functional work. It begins with an idea and ends with a well-designed piece, with a lot of experimentation in between. How does it move? How does it feel when you wear it? Figuring out how to construct each piece, working out the kinks and perfecting the design is all part of the process. Elaine works out of a small studio in downtown Charlottesville, VA. Many of her materials are milled from recycled metals, and all of the design and construction is done by hand in her own Elaine B studio. 

The jewelry Christina Kober creates is a perfect balance of understated elegance and playfully whimsy. It can be worn everyday but is also the perfect accent for the big moments of your life. Each piece begins as a reflection of her life. Whether it is inspired by a story or a significant moment from Christina’s life, you have your own experiences and sentiments that will connect you to a piece of jewelry, making it your own. 

Each piece of jewelry is made from start to finish by Christina and her assistant, Erin (an amazingly talented metalsmith in her own right). Christina Kober works hard to create well-designed, quality pieces.

Christina currently lives in Franklin, TN with her husband and their two cats, Oscar and Georgia.

Tara Montgomery is inspired by the beauty and elegance of simplicity, and it is her attempt to capture this in the jewelry she creates. She focuses on using high-quality stones and materials that are incredibly beautiful on their own and then elevates them further by forming the stones into pieces to adorn and admire. One of the many things she loves about the jewelry born out of this process is its versatility. The same wooden necklace is elegant enough to be worn on a wedding day and beautiful and functional enough to wear to work and out on the weekends. Tara Montgomery currently lives in Virginia with her husband and two children.

Dolan Geiman is a nationally recognized mixed media artist creating original paintings, collages, constructions, and limited-edition reproductions. Produced from salvaged wood, found objects, and other recycled materials, Geiman’s eco-friendly artwork emerges from a folk art tradition infused with a contemporary, urban style.

Originally from Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, Geiman currently lives and works in Chicago along with wife and business partner Ali Marie Geiman. His artwork has broad appeal to collectors and decorators alike, successfully weaving together rural with urban, vintage with contemporary. Motifs such as birds, woodland creatures, music, and Americana are popular and recurring themes, creating an artwork that introduces a modern aesthetic while remaining true to its rustic roots.

Gary Benfield and his keen eye for natural details joins with his vivid imagination in his work. His spontaneity is apparent in the dramatic pencil contours, casual brushstrokes and translucent colors. All this while his figurative forms are always classical and graceful and the compositions meticulous. The figures dissolve in the background and move across the canvas. Benfield paints rapidly and discards most of his work, keeping only the paintings that at the moment of conception capture the fluidity and grace of motion. Born in Birmingham, England, in 1965 Gary Benfield studied art at Sturbridge College of art and continued later at the prestigious Wrexham College of Art. After leaving the academic world, he set up a studio near London and embarked upon one of his most productive periods. During this time, he developed a distinctive yet natural style, and after only several years, his work became well known and widely collected throughout Europe.

From a childhood immersed in the beauty of nature, a youth surrounded by the classical sense of Renaissance-era European art and architecture, and a lifetime devoted to art as the highest form of expression, Glen Tarnowski brings stunning vitality, depth and emotion to his still-life paintings. Influenced by an intense formal education in art, pain-staking study of the works of Old World Masters, Tarnowski’s use of Chiaroscuro techniques provide his still-lifes with a vibrant dichotomy of old world feeling and contemporary realism.

Kathy Bransfield has found inspiration in her jewelry by traveling the world and experiencing other cultures. As a result her necklaces are funny, poignant, inspiring and powerful. As a matter of fact, her pieces are uniquely able to express the beauty and complexity of the human condition. Most of Kathy’s hand stamped pendants open to reveal quotes from inspirational poets, authors and world leaders. Depending on your needs, they are perfectly whimsical, poignant and loving. And each item embodies an essence of her quirkiness and unfalteringly cheerful spirit. And the necklaces will last a lifetime because they are made of sterling silver and gold plated bronze.

The Kathy Bransfield collection evokes passionate responses from long time collectors and new fans alike. Her distinctively inspirational jewelry covers everything from positive affirmations to soulful expressions of love. Which makes buying a gift for your friends and family that much easier! Actually, with Kathy’s necklaces, you have that graduation gift covered. You have that Mother’s Day gift covered. You have that condolences gift covered. And you have that birthday gift covered. So if you need to get that special something for that special someone, then Kathy Bransfield is the artist for you. 

These necklaces are our biggest sellers. Actually we’ve written a few blogs about how popular they are with our customers. For more information on Kathy Bransfield and her work, check out this blog about our most sold necklace, Buddhist Wheels Go Round and Round. Which incidentally has always been difficult to keep in stock.

Kathy on Kathy

Kathy hopes she can share History’s most brilliant visionaries with you through her sterling silver work. Most pieces open to reveal hand-stamped quotes or images that capture her trust in human faith. Above all, her necklaces speak to life’s complex beauty and all its diversity. With 25 yrs as a handmade jewelry artist, her necklaces can be found in the finest galleries, catalogs and exhibitions across the country.

Kathy Bransfield lives in Los Angeles, where she works hard to play hard. Camping, gourmet cooking and boating are just a few of the things that make up playtime in her work schedule. As a lover of travel, she feels that her journeys to other lands and experiencing other cultures has been a primary resource for inspiration. Within these travels she is always on a mission to indulge her passion of scuba diving and underwater photography. Which of course opens up yet another world of inspiration unto itself.

#KathyBransfield #HandStampedNecklaces #InspirationalNecklaces #HandmadeNecklaces #HandStampedPendants

Award winning master jeweler Chris Ploof hails from a small town in Massachusetts. He grew up visiting the local living museum and watching the craftspeople manipulate glass, tin and iron. The experience inspired him to the use of heat and tools to ingeniously create utility and elegance. After traveling the world trying careers that spoke to his historical influences and technical skills, Chris Ploof found himself back on his boyhood path. He attempted to make a forge improvised by a 55 gallon drum, fire bricks and a hair dryer. Eventually his knowledge seeking lead him to jewelry making classes. And at last, he was home. Chris has studied with many well-known artists, and apprenticed under a master goldsmith. He has an insatiable curiosity and drive that lead him down long roads even after the challenges at hand have been met.

The Santa Fe Symposium has twice chosen Chris to receive the Industry Leader Award. His work has been on the cover of Showcase 500 Rings and in countless other publications. The Chris Ploof name has become synonymous with handmade meteorite rings. His unique wedding rings are made with actual meteorite material that he has collected from various sources over the years. Of course it goes without saying that his mokume gane and naked damascus engagement rings and wedding bands are one of a kind works of art.

Chris on Chris

“I am inspired by historical styles and methods, but I also love exploring new techniques and materials, pushing the envelope of current and accepted techniques. Challenges always seem to lead down long roads even after they have been met, and spawn many future ideas and designs for me. I approach my work with an open mind, ready to learn new things about my medium. My sense of humor is my greatest asset when things don’t go as planned. The best discoveries can come from the biggest mistakes. Impossible is only a temporary condition.” – Chris Ploof

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Driven by her belief in a universal language of shape and form, Anne Sportun looks to nature for inspiration. Anne translates the subtle beauty of organic asymmetry into her necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings. The combination of traditional gold-smithing techniques with Anne’s design sensibility brings a sophisticated dichotomy to her pieces. In her work and in her life, she strives to combine the precious with the everyday. Known around the world for her bridal collection, each piece is handcrafted with the rich look and feel of a traditional engagement ring or wedding band, while simultaneously preserving the uniqueness that comes jewelry that is handcrafted. Awarded for her excellence in craftsmanship and contemporary design, her work is collected by those who share Anne’s vision.

Anne Sportun’s creativity is driven by her belief in a universal language of shapes and symbols. Finding pure beauty in nature’s organic forms, she balances the precise with the irregular, the perfect with the prosaic. Sparkling gems adopt an understated elegance that transforms them from special-occasion dazzlers to wear-everyday pleasures. Based in Toronto, Anne Sportun has won numerous design and jewelry-smithing awards. She has even been honored with a Canadian postage stamp featuring her hands and rings.

Making a name for yourself in the jewelry business isn’t easy, especially in New York, but Julie Nolan has not only survived but thrived in the fashion-obsessed metropolis that’s overflowing with so much innovation. Designing for ten years, Nolan began her formal training halfway through with a course in fundamental jewelry techniques. After that, she apprenticed under Hannah Clark and then Randi Mates of Aesa Jewelry. It wasn’t until Nolan started her own line in 2009, and sold her work at street fairs, that she experienced what she described as “character building.” She recently moved to Western Massachusetts for a change of pace and all of her pieces are made in the new studio.