Earrings by Silvercocoon. Photo courtesy the artist.
Jewelry & Accessory Makers Mart Online Spring 2021
May 1–2
Celebrate spring with an artful look! Our Jewelry & Accessory Makers Mart returns online with a collection of one-of-a-kind products made by local artists—available for a limited time only. Support our Twin Cities maker community, find a fabulous gift for Mother’s Day, and treat yourself.
Makers include: Amy Torello, Ann Erickson, Beth Novak Enamels, BMF Jewelry, Bridget Clark Design, Camille Hempel Jewelry, Chroma Jewelry, Cosette Design, Dottir Jewelry, Emily Madland Jewelry, Helen Wang Jewelry, Hideaway Leathercraft, ITSNONAME Design, Julie Meyer Handbags, Karin Jacobson Design, MEND Jewelry, Npauj Jewelry, Robin Ann Meyer Scarves, ROX Jewelry, Silvercocoon, Solid Design Studios, Vikse Designs, Willa Burke Wilson, and Yen Chee Design.
Member Preview: Jewelry & Accessory Makers Mart Online Spring 2021
April 30–May 1
Members shop first and save 10%! Celebrate spring with the virtual Jewelry & Accessory Makers Mart. For 24 hours, members enjoy first pick from this collection of one-of-a-kind items crafted by local artists—available for a limited time only. Support our Twin Cities maker community, find a fabulous gift for Mother’s Day, and treat yourself.
Members will be emailed an exclusive presale link on Friday, April 30. Join or renew online or by calling 612-375-7655.
Walker Shop
All proceeds support the Walker’s award-winning artistic and educational programs. Contact us at 612-253-3402 or visit shop.walkerart.org.
ABOUT THE MAKERS
All photos courtesy of the artists
Amy Torello
Mexico City, Mexico
Materials: Solid Sterling, Fine Silver plated over Bronze, 24K Gold plated over Bronze, or Mixed Metals over Bronze
Amy Torello uses a variety of methods to bring her ideas into life. Embracing both traditional hand crafting skills as well as modern technologies such as 3D printing and custom colored resins, she strives to create something that brings true joy to the women who wear her collections. Finding inspiration everywhere, she is particularly fascinated with the relationships between color, texture, movement, and form. Her jewelry involves mixed metals over bronze, coated with a clear lacquer to keep the sparkly finish clean and bright.
Ann Erickson
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Materials: Brass, sterling silver
Ann Erickson is an artist based in Minneapolis. Quality handmade adornments – largely earrings and hair accessories – are the focus of her current creative pursuits, though her background is in painting, ceramics, leatherworking, and sewing. Working in primarily brass and sterling silver, Ann is interested in making versatile utilitarian pieces that complement the wearer’s sense of beauty and expression – especially for those leading an active lifestyle. For this reason, you will find that even the largest statement earrings are lightweight enough for everyday wear, and are designed to minimize snagging clothing and hair.
Beth Novak Enamels
St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Materials: Enamel on Copper, Sterling Silver
Beth Novak grew up in an artistic home believing that just about anything is inspiration. She is originally from Wisconsin, where she attended the University Wisconsin–Stout and got a degree in studio art, with a concentration in art metals. Novak has since lived in St. Louis Park for the last 17 years, and after experimenting with many different mediums, she has returned to her first love: metals. Her works include enamel on copper and sterling silver. She loves to explore texture and color and finds that both silver and copper allow her to do so. Novak often manipulates the copper before enameling it, to accentuate the layers and texture under the enamel. The patina she finishes her pieces off with is quite durable and has a wonderful depth of color.
BMF Jewelry
Ely, Minnesota
Materials: Sterling Silver, Semi-Precious Stones
As a child, Brittany Foster spent a lot of time mucking around a little swamp she had in her family’s front yard. She learned to notice nature, and was a collector of shells and rocks. At 12 years-old she participated in her first jewelry class, which gave her skills with tools such as hammers and torches. After college, she built a business making custom projects and then moved to a small town near a swamp similar to her childhood. She describes her work as having elements of both her experiences in the city and swamp, architectural and natural.
Bridget Clark Design
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Materials: Sterling Silver, 24-Karat Gold, Semi-Precious Stones
Bridget Clark came into jewelry design after a career in science. She had passions in art and science, which led her to study science in college. After graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in clinical laboratory science, she worked in toxicology for several years. In 1998, she decided to leave for a more creative pursuit and set up a studio in her home. Exploring metalsmithing through classes and mentorship, a complex, three-dimensional and asymmetrical body of work emerged. Clark recognized elements of science and biology in her work, noting a botanical and marine aesthetic with an industrial edge. Clark is currently a charter board member of the Minnesota Jewelry Artists Guild (MNJAG) and is working to build community within the craft and engage the greater public with their awareness of the work, value and satisfaction of being a collector.
Camille Hempel Jewelry
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Materials: Sterling silver and gold
Camille likes tools… and firmly believes that tulle, too, has its place in the world. Camille Hempel is a jewelry designer with no shortage of creativity and range. She got interested in jewelry making while studying Art at UW Madison. She learned the trade as an apprentice at the Jewelers Workshop in Madison and acquired the tools of the trade after college while at a farm auction with her grandfather. Camille has always had a workbench set up somewhere so she can bring her ideas to fruition, but she likes to keep her “jeweler at large” status – finding inspiration while pursuing her other passions away from the studio.
Chroma Jewelry
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Materials: Acrylic, sterling silver, gold plate
Emma Carroll is a jewelry and product designer from Southeast Iowa who currently resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2012, she graduated with a Masters in Design from The Peter Behrens School of Art/FH Düsseldorf in Germany. After moving back to the US, she has taught at several colleges and currently teaches in St. Paul. Emma is designer with a sensitivity to detail, technology and material combinations. Her passion lies in connecting colleges with corporate sponsorship and bringing innovation out of the classroom and into society.
Cosette Design
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Materials: Brass, glass
Meg Smith is an alumni of Parsons School of Design. She has a myriad of experience and history in fashion design, illustration, and murals. When her three children were very young, she made the decision to leave a domestic violence situation. With no where to go having lost her mother to cancer and needing to be sole supporter, Meg took in small sewing commissions at home while creating a line of hand sewn silk bracelets with rhinestones and findings. In 2014 Meg moved her family back to Minneapolis where she founded Cosette Designs in honor of her grandmother. Meg has always been drawn to fashion and design with a passion for the mid-century glamour era.
Dottir Jewelry
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Materials Used: Sterling Silver, Brass
Dottir is a Minneapolis-based jewelry line by artist Meghan Nelson. She uses silver and brass to create work that focuses on clean lines, geometric shapes, and elegant forms. Ranging from the perfect everyday pair of posts to the dramatic statement collar, her pieces strive for wearability and functionality. All elements of her jewelry are hand-fabricated in her Seward studio.
Emily Madland Jewelry
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Materials: Sterling silver, semi-precious stones
Emily Madland is a Minneapolis-based jewelry artist. She creates hand-forged sterling silver and gemstone pieces in her home studio. She is inspired by balance, how colors play together, shapes found in the natural world, and negative space. In addition to making jewelry, Emily loves being with her daughters, reading, bicycling, being outdoors, and works her other job as a school social worker.
Helen Wang Jewelry
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Materials: Semi-Precious Stones, Mixed Precious Metals
Wang creates each deftly designed one-of-a kind or limited-edition piece with the person who will eventually wear it in mind. Whether it’s a druzy quartz marquis earring or the vintage luxury feel of a genuine Swarovski crystal bridal choker, Wang’s hands create the jewelry to reflect her vision of the consumer.
Hideaway Leathercraft
Duluth, Minnesota
Materials: Leather
Who says practical needs to be boring? Not Niki Burger of Hideaway Leathercraft with her hand-tooled and painted leather handbags! And she doesn’t stop there; her earrings, necklaces and chokers have gained popularity among lovers of bold statement jewelry, as well as those wishing to add more color and expression to their life. Her use of natural fiber (leather) and vintage retro-inspired color palettes create durable, one-of-a-kind exquisite works of art.
ITSNONAME Design
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Materials: Sterling silver, fine silver, gold and platinum
After years of collective experience in art, graphic design, and fashion industries, ITSNONAME was founded by husband and wife Joe Johnson and Jeanju Choi-Johnson in 2007. At ITSNONAME—an anagram for Minnesota, where they were both born and raised—jewelry designs are meant to tell a story and create a statement of self-awareness.
Julie Meyer Handbags
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Materials: Cowhide, Top-Grain Leather
Since 2008, Julie Meyer has been crafting bags in small quantities from her Minneapolis studio. Each bag is constructed with skilled workmanship using top-grain leather, hair-on cowhides and finished with full-interior linings. Meyer enjoys turning raw materials into functional items people love using. Julie Meyer Handbags are designed to be used every day and to last a lifetime.
Karin Jacobson Design
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Materials: Sterling Silver, Topaz, White Quartz and other Lab Grown Gems
Karin Jacobson is committed to meticulously crafted, art jewelry and wedding rings. Each piece is hand-fabricated and focuses on ethically sourced materials. This collection was inspired by Origami and Kirigami, (a variation of origami that includes cutting of the paper). She wanted to try to take flat shapes and fold them into voluminous 3D forms. Metal does not fold the same way that paper does, but to Jacobson, these pieces capture the spirit of the form.
MEND Jewelry
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Materials: Semi-precious stones, gold plate, sterling silver
Since the launch of her brand, Jordyn DiOrio has sold online at Nordstrom.com, launched a holiday store at the Mall of America and won three awards (Twin Cities Startup Award, Rising Young Professionals and NY Now’s Best New Product). She sells intentionally designed jewelry to women all over the country. She wants to blaze the trail for young women who aspire to run their own companies in the future. DiOrio currently lives in Minneapolis and is working on launching her sixth collection this spring. When she’s not full steam ahead on MEND, she mentors students at the University of Minnesota, listens to podcasts and indulges in macaroons.
Npauj Jewelry
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Materials: Polymer clay
Npauj came about through the love for fashion, travel and everyday art. Founder and designer, Bao Yang blends color, pattern, and whimsy into all of her designs. Npauj brings you one of a kind jewelry and fashion pieces that are affordable, fun and timeless.
Robin Ann Meyer Scarves
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Materials: Chiffon, Silk
I think of myself as an artist and then a product designer. Like artists of centuries past I find inspiration in the world around me. From global treks to local fresh cut bouquets, nature and architecture fuel my passion for design. My parents recognized my artistic interest early and encouraged this in me. I studied art and design in Europe. Once back stateside, I worked as a textile designer in the NYC home fashion industry before relocating to Minnesota with my husband. While I feel like an East Coast girl at heart, Minnesota has welcomed us and truly inspired my work. It was here I knew I could start the print studio and launch my line. I am motivated by not just the community of artists I have found but the Twin Cities and state itself. Nature abounds from Three River Parks to the miles of lakes and biking paths.
ROX Jewelry
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Materials: semi-precious stones, pearl, sterling silver, brass
Robyne Robinson creates exotic, one-of-a-kind, affordable jewelry created with semi-precious stone, pearl, and artisan brass and silver. They are made for men and women for the environmentally conscious consumer. Her jewelry is sold at exclusive museums, jewelers and boutiques worldwide.
Silvercocoon
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Materials: wood, acrylic, sterling silver, 14k gold-fill
Fascinated with things and how they are made, Tia Keobounpheng incorporates architectural design to create pieces made from wood, acrylic, and metal. Color, texture, repetition, and light are important considerations in her work whose forms and compositions respond to the natural and man-made world around her. Practicality and simplicity transcend her work in any medium or scale.
Solid Design Studios
Edina, Minnesota
Materials Used: Semi-precious stones, gold plate, sterling silver
Designer Megan Wiley started Solid Design Studios after spending a decade in women’s fashion and accessories while covering style as a magazine editor and working for some of the Twin Cities’ most revered boutiques. Her jewelry and accessories embrace a refined yet playful aesthetic, translating seamlessly from day to evening. Each piece is made by hand in Edina, Minnesota, and is named after a street in this Minneapolis suburb.
Vikse Designs
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Materials: Semi-Precious Stones, Sterling Silver, Gold, Leather and Feathers
Jeannie Trelles first began making jewelry in junior high school, a hobby that turned into a business in 2009. Her work is influenced by her love of travel, nature, and fashion. As her business has grown, so has her desire to learn new skills to further her ability and to realize her creative vision. After taking metalsmithing and lapidary classes, her work has developed from the beading and crocheted work she started out with. She enjoys using a variety of natural materials in her work, including semi-precious stones, sterling silver, gold, leather and feathers.
Willa Burke Wilson
St. Paul, Minnesota
Materials: Sterling Silver, oxidized sterling silver, 14 kt. Gold
Willa Burke Wilson studied jewelry and metalsmithing at Iowa State University and has been creating unique pieces of jewelry ever since. She loves to work with her hands by piercing, sawing, etching and soldering the metal. She finds inspiration from shapes that she sees in everyday life, and tries to recreate her favorite shapes in abstract ways with unexpected details. In her off time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.
Yen Chee Design
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Materials: Sterling Silver, Quartz Crystal, Onyx and Tourmalinated Quartz
Yen-Ying Chee has always been drawn to creating clean, unique, modern jewelry. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Boston University, as well as a bachelor of science in interior design from the University of Minnesota. Prior to working as a full-time jewelry designer and mom, she worked as a commercial interior designer at architecture firms for over a decade. These experiences greatly influenced the “miniature sculptures” she creates. Besides being inspired by her travels, furniture, and architecture, Chee’s designs often come from a deeper spiritual place within. She is especially drawn to working with clear quartz crystals due to their natural beauty and healing properties. Clear quartz known as “universal crystals” are completely natural and from the earth, believed for centuries to attract positive energy that enhances the mind, body, and spirit.