Celebrating Place, Passion, and Nature through Unique Handmade Jewelry
Unique jewelry made by HAND, by the original designer/maker (that's me! Sarah!), not machines, not underpaid assistants, and not cast indefinitely by some outside company that doesn't know what LettersToSarah Metalsmithing stands for.
LettersToSarah Metalsmithing is internationally known for unique and original designs, nothing like what you'd find in a traditional jewelry store. I make jewelry that is simple, with a vintage-rustic flair and a little shine, to make you feel a little more earthy, cozy, connected, and proud.
Because each piece is individually made by hand, each one is a bit different from the rest, united by design, but still as special and unique as it's wearer.
Handmade means different things to different people. On Etsy, “handmade” can range from ready-made parts assembled by hand, to designs thought up by an artist and made by outside manufacturers or entirely by machines, to items made collaboratively by multiple people using a variety of machines and tools, to items made completely by hand with no ready-made parts. I value the incredible range of possibility and creativity that this open-ended definition creates, but utilize a much more narrow definition of handmade at LetterstoSarah.
In my shop, handmade means that I cut out each shape with a traditional jeweler's hand saw, solder them with my torch, and file and shape the designs by hand. I use hand tools to make every design, and for almost every process (I use a machine, my tumbler, for a final polish and shine, but only after I've hand-sanded and hand-polished each piece!). I've even blacksmithed to make some of my tools by hand, and I welded my own custom workbench to fit my space-conscious studio.
Some people believe that only so-called "precious metals" (gold, silver, platinum, etc.) are valuable, and are valuable for their rarity. At LettersToSarah, I turn this convention on it's head, and celebrate metals for their character, embracing their dynamic and essential nature.
I love copper for it's extreme flexibility, it's ever-changing range of warm, earthy hues, and it's symbiotic relationship with the body. Copper conducts energy (both literally in electrical wires, and spiritually in an emotional sense), has antibacterial properties, and has a long history of use in traditional medicine for healing.
Silver is strong, shiny, stubborn, uplifting, and undeniably beautiful.
I use traditional metalsmithing practices: hand cutting my metals with a jeweler's saw, silver soldering, and much, much more, to hand-make a superior product that is guaranteed to last a lifetime. And it's made with love. What could be better than that?
LettersToSarah Metalsmithing's Core Beliefs:
I celebrate the profound meaning that can be packed into the tiniest object: strength, hope, joy, nostalgia. I believe that objects made by hand have an inherent value, embedded in the process of their making. I love the makers mark, the tiny flaws, signatures that reveal the personality of the maker. I believe that objects have memories of their own, and take a part of me with them, that once they leave my hands they begin their own journeys. I love the expansive reach of my jewelry, connecting people through a common idea over a vast landscape.
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