Shhh!

I met the fabulous owners of Nelson's very unique, Very Hush Hush gallery. Operating seasonally out of a restored 1964 Airstream trailer, their store sells handmade goods by emerging independent Canadian designers and now includes my line of jewelry.

What a perfect concept for a town like Nelson, BC. I lived in Nelson while I took my Fine Woodworking diploma and have been hit with a whiff of nostalgia after checking out their website.

Process

There is some beautiful wood and silver jewelry out there these days. I'm a sucker for the stunning combo and wanted to share some techniques and elements that make my work unique.

All of my jewelry is handmade with unstained wood and sterling silver. The silver (or wood as the case may be) is all inlaid in very thin layers. The intricate inlays in the Flora Line are actually made using a technique called marquetry.

With marquetry, very thin layers of wood (ie. veneer) are cut at the same time to ensure a perfect fit. The layers are then assembled like a puzzle and glued to a substrate. In the case of the flora, one of the "woods" is substituted with a thin layer of silver - thin enough it can act like a piece of veneer. This skin is then glued to the same wood substrate so it seems seamless.

Here's an example of marquetry on a larger scale by Dustin Doerntlein who collaborates with me:

Slip

Slip Necklace - ebony with silver inlaid

I love this photo of the Slip Necklace. It really highlights the playful interaction between the two pieces.