Metalsmith Tells Stories with Jewelry

Even in grade school, local artisan Jennifer James found herself craving one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry. Early on, she took matters into her own hands and soon had her own set of long earrings.

“I made dangles to slide on behind my little heart studs. Soon, I began incorporating wood, feathers and tulle. Hey, Madonna was big," James said. "And [I sold] them to my classmates for 25 cents a pair. I bought Choose Your Own Adventure books and Mad Libs with my earnings."

She said she worked hard to improve her skill set and over time became a full-fledged metalsmith with pieces displayed all over Georgia.

Others have described her pieces as musical, playful and darkly quirky, James said. Her style is organically animated and she finds ideas within nature.

“I draw much inspiration from protozoa and botanical forms. I like to inspect the world around me, figure out how things are put together and work, then apply those principles to my work,” James explained.

James is willing to do commissions and said she loves the requests for unusual stones that often accompany personalized pieces. She said she especially enjoys those requests that commemorate a special event in a client's life.

“Nothing brings a metalsmith greater satisfaction than telling a client's story, capturing their personal sense of style and creating a piece which becomes an extension of the wearer."

Currently, some of her work can be found at Spruill Gallery in Atlanta as well as the Honeybee in Smyrna. She also has an online store as well as a jewelry website.

To keep current with constantly evolving methods, James frequents the Spruill Center for the Arts and belongs to the Georgia Goldsmith's Group. She said this dedication to her craft allows her to experience new forms of inspiration daily.

“I love that my work continues to grow. Novel ways of looking at common objects, even their flaws, generate new elements in my designs. Learning new techniques leads me down fresh exploratory paths. There is no telling where a muse is hiding. It never ends, and it never gets old.”