Jewelry Archive
Spring Lily
Brooch
Enamel, electroformed copper
4.0in x 1.5in x 1.0in
Nellie
Brooch
Fine silver, enamel, electroformed copper
8.5cm x 4.0cm x 2.5cm
Photo by Ralph Gabriner
Angel Wings
Brooch
Enamel, electroformed copper
4.75in x 0.875in x 1.0in
Iris Rising
Brooch
Enamel, electroformed copper
4.75in x 1.5in x 0.75in
Iris Root Mandala
Brooch/Pendant
Champleve enamel on etched copper, fine silver
1.875in x 2.0in x 0.375in
Core Mandala
Pendant
Champleve enamel on etched copper, fine silver
5.0cm x 5.5cm x 0.8cm
Photo by Ralph Gabriner
Orchid Mandala
Brooch/Pendant
Champleve enamel on etched copper, fine silver
5.5cm x 5.5cm x 0.5cm
Lapis Lotus Mandala
Brooch/Pendant
Enamel, electroformed copper, fine silver, sterling silver
6.0cm x 6.0cm x 1.0cm
Ariel
Brooch
Enamel, electroformed copper, sterling silver, prismacolor
4.25in x 2.0in x 0.75in
Persephone
Brooch
Enamel, electroformed copper
4.625in x 0.875in x 0.75in
Chloe
Brooch
Fine silver, enamel, electroformed copper
8.5cm x 3.5cm x 2.5cm
Photo by Ralph Gabriner
Autumn
Brooch
Enamel, electroformed copper
4.0in x 1.0in x 0.75in
Sophia
Brooch
Enamel, electroformed copper
3.25in x 1.375in x 0.75in
Lantern for Joris
Brooch
Enamel, electroformed copper, prismacolor
10.0cm x 4.0cm x 2.0cm
Columbine Curve
Brooch
Enamel, electroformed copper
10.0cm x 1.5cm x 1.5cm
Flame
Brooch
Enamel, electroformed copper
12.0cm x 4.0cm x 2.0cm
Tribal Mandala
Pendant
Champleve enamel on etched copper, fine silver
4.5cm x 4.8cm x 0.8cm
Photo by Ralph Gabriner
Flow Mandala
Brooch/Pendant
Champleve enamel on etched copper, fine silver, prismacolor
5.5cm x 5.5cm x 0.5cm
From the 1990s through 2010, I made one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces that were sold in galleries around the country. I used botanical form and structure as a point of departure, often starting with actual plant material, but moving beyond the strictly representational. This enabled me to communicate a sense of development over time, to reflect a certain organic complexity, and to suggest the mysteries which underlie all of nature.
My techniques included electroforming, an additive process of depositing copper onto another form, as well as etching, a subtractive process that removes selected parts of the surface. When combined with enameling, these techniques provided a way to explore the interplay of color, pattern, texture and organic form.
I exhibited frequently with Aaron Faber Gallery in New York and at the annual SOFA show (Sculpture, Objects & Functional Art) in Chicago, as well as with Facèré Jewelry Art in Seattle. My work was shown at galleries in Boston and Cambridge, MA, San Francisco, St. Louis, Seoul, Korea, and many other locations. The work has been published in a number of journals and books. Today my jewelry can be found in many private collections as well as in the Racine Art Museum collection and that of the Enamel Arts Foundation.
—Melissa Huff