The Magic of Texture

I've always been drawn to contrast. Light and dark, smooth and rough, sweet and salty. In jewelry, texture brings pieces to life. It's only during the last steps of the jewelry making process when I really get to see the fruits of my labour. I spend over 90% of my time heating, sawing, soldering, hammering, filing, sanding, and polishing. Then, the magic happens when patina is applied and floods into the recesses of the texture. What was once flat in contrast is now multifaceted and interesting. It's usually at this point when I do a happy dance because the metal looks so pretty.

The photo on the right shows the difference patina makes in my Rustling Leaves earrings. Not only does the patina bring out the leaf veins in the silver, it also gives the smooth copper a gritty, rustic appearance. These earrings have multiple levels of contrast from the smooth versus detailed textures to the different colours in the metals. Absolutely beautiful!