Artist's Statement
We use many techniques on the wire that we have used on yarn. After many years as a knitter, a weaver and a hand spinner, it was just a natural transition to use fiber-related techniques on the wire. We weave, twist, knit, knot, tat and even sculpt the wire into jewelry that is intended to be timeless and elegant. Precision and craftsmanship are critical to the success of this type of wirework.
We loved working with wool and silk, but, we find that jewelry design and fabrication interests both of us like nothing else. It is exciting see the piece of wire take on shape, shadows and highlights as it crosses and interweaves with other pieces of wire and stones.
Most of our work is done with a few simple hand tools, however the anodizing process for titanium and niobium requires a 110-volt anodizing machine.
We are both inspired by early metal work from the Egyptians, who were the first wire workers, the Vikings, who were among the first who did nalbinding and the chainmaille artisans, who created armor from the Roman times to the Middle Ages.
Our design process is a journey of discovery. It consists of sketching, modeling and making practice pieces to get the proportion, technique and detail before the pieces are rendered in gold or silver wire. We incorporate the historical tradition and techniques for knitting, weaving, lace making, knotting, basketry and braiding in our work.