Handmade Artisan Jewelry
Beaded Necklaces · Handcrafted Bracelets · Handmade Earrings
Every piece of jewelry sold here at XO Gallery is both designed and handmade by me, so you can be sure that what you are purchasing really is original handcrafted artisan jewelry. As both an artist and someone who loves art, I know how special it can be to own an inspired creation of art by a real life artist.
I am inspired by the world and all of the variety it has to offer and my soulful jewelry designs are a direct result of this inspiration. I crave using unusual, ethnic components from all over the world to design bold and exotic art jewelry. Some of my pieces are definitely representative of a particular culture like Cradle of Humanity, which is distinctly African-inspired. Other designs are a fusion of cultures and styles such as Bohemia which incorporates an Ethiopian Coptic cross and a Grecian clay fossil pendant together in a more modern artistic jewelry style.
I do not limit my designs to fit into a particular category or style nor do I try to force something to work. In general my jewelry is very earthy and rugged, but if I am inspired to make a predominately contemporary piece of jewelry, like 
New York City Bangle, then I don't stop myself. I constantly experiment with new jewelry-making techniques and new materials and am always on the lookout for unique elements to add to my designs.
Sometimes I have a very clear image of a necklace or bracelet that I want to create and I get the materials I need and design the piece. Other times I cover my work table with strand after strand of beads along with some pendants and other fetishes or miscellaneous components and I get ideas and play around with all of the materials until I end up with that perfect design that I am passionate about. I love being a jewelry artist because there is no end to the design possibilities.
Although I use a wide variety of materials, I do have some favorites that you will see throughout my line of handmade artisan jewelry. Probably my all time favorite material is coral, big chunky polished but rugged, red or orange coral, like that in my Archipelago necklace and bracelet. As far as stones go, I also love turquoise, but not so much the light blue pure turquoise. I actually prefer the heavily matrixed green-blue Chinese turquoise like that in 
Hubei. My other favorite gemstone is serpentine which is often mistaken for green turquoise. I love green and the serpentine in The Jungle is probably the most beautiful and unique stone that I have ever seen.
You will see African elements used throughout my jewelry designs. These beads and pendants are bursting with soul and have a wonderful handmade rustic characteristic. I especially love the woven brass beads from Kumasi, Ghana and the bone beads from Kenya, both of which can be seen in Cradle of Humanity. Trade beads that were actually created in Venice to trade with Africa are also among my favorites because they were created with the styles and culture of Africa in mind and they reflect that unique flavor and soul. Awala and padre trade beads along with woven brass beads, brass rings and a brass mask pendant from Africa can all be seen in 
Bakim-Mutum.
The Karen Hill Tribe of Thailand produces amazingly detailed silver beads that you will also see in many of my designs. Their beads are individually handmade by skilled artisans throughout the village who hammer and carve designs into 99% pure silver using generation old silver-smithing techniques. I used bold hammered Hill Tribe beads in both The Jungle and New York City Bangle that can be seen on this page.
I love beads and pendants form the Orient, especially carved bone, jade, agate and cinnabar as well as old Chinese coins from different dynasties throughout history. See my Asian Elegance Collection for inspired artisan jewelry reflecting the culture and art of the Orient. Two other beautiful Chinese-inspired exotic necklaces are Sung Dynasty Coin Collar and Rhythm of the Orient, both perfect examples of true handcrafted artisan jewelry.
Some wonderful components come from high up in the Himalayas in Tibet and Nepal, where yak bone, coral, Tibetan turquoise and sterling silver, Afghan lapis, conch shell, copal amber and dzi agate beads are the palette for bead and jewelry artists. I plan to start using more of these components in my jewelry designs as they are amazing works of art. One example of a stunning Tibetan inlaid conch shell pendant can be seen in my artisan necklace 
Horn of Triton.
In addition to these bead favorites, I use many other materials of all different shapes, sizes, colors and textures. The predominant semi-precious gemstones that I use include carnelian, agate, jade, jasper, chrysocolla, green garnet, blue chalcedony, amber and onyx. I love elements from nature including mother of pearl, all kinds of shells, freshwater pearls, bamboo, wood, bone, horn, nut and leather.
Resin beads have become more readily available both as imitations of other beads such as amber, copal and horn and as retro style beads from the Bakelite era as well as a new lightweight and colorful translucent material for creating contemporary artisan jewelry. I have used both amber resin and lime green resin in Belize, in both this necklace and the matching bracelet.
Terra Cotta from Greece is another material that I frequently use. I often incorporate silver, antique silver or gold plated terra cotta rather than the pure metals themselves as they have a unique "molten" metal look and are available in unique shapes and larger sizes. Pure gold or silver beads of these sizes would be extremely expensive given today's silver and gold market prices. Some of the silver terra cotta can be seen in Belize as well.
With my unlimited palette of beads, I make designs ranging from classic and elegant single strand necklaces like Iolani Lei to dramatic nine or ten strand pendant necklaces filled with exotic features and unique textures such as Sunset on the Beach. 
My line of handmade necklaces includes collar-style pieces and chokers that are very close to the neck, mid-length necklaces, and long theatrical pieces. Some of these have a pendant or more than one pendant, some a focal bead or fetish, others a tassel and many pieces have more than one of these features.
My line of artisan bracelets ranges from bold single-strand pieces like Blue Nile to unusual charm bracelets
such as Chinese Dragon Charm Bracelet to multi-strand exotic pieces like Kamagong. I also have made a few cuff-style pieces and some bangles for which I have done all of the wirework.
Some of my designs are simple, some complex, but they all have soul. This page has presented a sampling of my handcrafted artisan jewelry to give you a taste of what you will find throughout my gallery. I hope you will fall in love with one of my designs or find something you have been looking for. If nothing makes you say "Wow, I have to have that!" then maybe you would be interested in a custom designed piece.
Thanks for coming to my gallery. Let me know if you have any questions or if you would like to commission a custom piece of artisan jewelry. E-mail me anytime at kelly@xogallery.com. For additional contact information and FAQ, see the About the Artist page.
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