Please click on the photos at the left to see a larger image, a description and the price.
The jewelry I create is substantial looking but very light to wear, due to the use of hollow forms.
My work is hand-fabricated using many simple tools including: a jeweler's saw, a variety of flat, round and half round files, burnishers, drill bits, burrs, a goldsmiths hammer along with shaping and forming hammers, and my beloved torch which gives me a tiny but very hot flame.
Many of the items are available in either gold or silver with a wide array of stones, combinations, and designs.
Non-pierced clip-ons are available in many of the post style designs.
My materials include; fine and sterling silver, 18 and 22k yellow gold, and unusual colored precious and semi-precious stones including:
Watermelon Tourmaline-Brazil which is found in a wide variety of colors including blue, green and pink.
Blue Chalcedony- South Africa (northern region), translucent blue and sometimes more opaque.
Citrus Chalcedony-Namibia (bordering South Africa), bright orange, deep tomato, and sometimes the color of cantaloupe.
Chrysophrase-Australia, usually a deep green or pale translucent pistachio green.
Vesuvianite-Butte Co. Northern California, chartreuse or electric green (from one mine).
Lavender Chalcedony-Nevada, plum purple color, milky opaque to translucent.
Larimar-Dominican Republic (from one mine), opaque sky blue with swirls of white.
Moonstone-India,translucent with flashes of rainbow and blue colors
Aquamarine-Brazil, milky translucent pale blue to ocean green.
Rough Sapphire-Montana, translucent in a wide range of colors with natural color spots, blue, yellow, purple and more.
Turquoise-natural, un-dyed, and from the Southwest, in shades of pistachio, olive, dark green, pale white, blue with white cloud-like formations.
Palmwood, Peanut wood (Australia), Mexican Crazy lace, various types of picture jasper (U.S.) these hard stones and fossils are found in a mosaic of colors and configurations.
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If you have further questions or would like to order
click here to e-mail Alison
The Technique
Hollow forms create a sense of depth and movement, like seaweed flowing back and forth in slow motion underwater. These forms are used in much of my jewelry.
Hand fabricated by using a grooved block of wood and my hammers, or a 20-ton hydraulic press, I create substantial jewelry that is light and comfortable to wear.
When using the hydraulic press, I hand cut my own designs out of acrylic sheet, sandwich the metal in between the die and the press while applying pressure. The metal puffs out in the shape of my design. I then cut, sand down, and solder the two halves, creating a hollow form. Each form is hand filed and nearly finished before proceeding with the design.
To further suit the needs of each piece of jewelry, the clasps are hand-made, incorporating them directly into the design allowing function, as well as adornment. The clasps are fabricated from sheet metal in the basic form of a box, with a custom fitting key which is secured with a safety latch. Each clasp is made specific to the design, some set with stones and other clasps take on the shapes represented in the rest of the piece. The custom hand-designed clasp brings continuity of the specific design into the function, wearability, and safety (of not losing it) of the jewelry.
Alison B. Antelman
