"My process uses a lot of heat," says Lori Swartz, who's a jeweler, abstract painter, aerial performer, and a few other things to boot. "I fuse. I hammer. I cut. I grind. All the work is hand forged." This month, Swartz releases a new line of work that represents a leap in her aesthetic. "It has the feel of barnacles, underwater sea plants, and rusted things, uncovered," says Swartz, whose chunky, bold, and hand-hammered pieces are already popular items at GVG. "For years I stripped my work down to just the silver and gold. Now I'm enjoying the splashes of color and a place for the eye to rest."

Swartz grew up between a commune and life on the road in an International step van (kind of like a walk-in truck) with her "hippie" parents. She's a completely self-taught artist who stumbled across her deep love for metalwork when she happened to learn how to weld while she was at graduate school for social work. Like many of our jewelers, once she began working with metal, she never looked back.

"My inspiration comes from a direct conversation with the metal," says Swartz. "I heat the metal, it responds, I respond, and the dialogue begins. Each piece is a small sculptural moment, a playful spark-a talisman to hold close to your skin."

In Swartz's work, silver isn't shiny. "I like the textures and seams to show," she says. Using darkening patinas allows the textures to be more apparent. I leave parts of the piece dark and shine or brighten others. This creates depth and variety in the metal."


Swartz's extensive new line is now available at GVG (above is just one of three cases!).