20 Days of Handmade: Mandy Allen Metal Arts

There are only a couple of posts left for 20 Days of Handmade! Today’s pick is another artist I met at the Grout Elementary holiday fair this year, Mandy Allen Metal Arts. She uses silver and anodized aluminum to create lovely and light jewelry and wall art. I love her gingko leaf inspired pieces such as this necklace. I’ve long been a fan of anodized aluminum and really enjoy her color combinations and metal cuts. Each piece has a lot of movement and never looks heavy.

Mandy Allen Metal Arts can also be found tomorrow at the Handmade Northwest Formal show!

20 Days of Handmade: Jessica Scofield Jewelry

I discovered Jessica Scofield Jewelry at a craft show I did last December and fell in love with her work. My undergrad concentration is in metalsmithing and I have a huge appreciation for the time and skill that goes into making fine jewelry.

I own these spark earrings and wear them constantly. They are etched by hand and are absolutely fabulous. I’ve been writing a lot about detail in my 20 Days of Handmade posts and I can’t emphasize that enough. It’s that wonderful attention to the small elements that makes a piece, be it earrings, carved wood, or a large sculpture, work.

Take for example this enameled triple octagon necklace. It is hand etched sterling silver that is then enameled and assembled. One of my favorite things about Jessica Scofield Jewelry is that her work just seems to glow. If you think her work is too expensive, please think about the time that has gone into a piece like this. She isn’t buying finished components and then putting them together. She’s spending hours doing intensely small work and the finished prodcut is worth every penny.