Birmingham, AL
Jewelry
I began my jewelry-making process while receiving my BFA from Birmingham-Southern and simultaneously working for a boutique, where I was able to harvest ideas from the jewelry I was purchasing for the store, as well as develop sources for a variety of jewelry materials. For the last several years, I have been making one-of-a-kind jewelry using semi-precious stones and glass beads, combined with wires. Over the last two years, I have begun incorporating hand-formed metal into my jewelry designs. The combination allows me to explore new processes, and add a sculptural element to my designs, while keeping the color that the stones and glass allow. To form the metal pieces, I begin with sheets of brass or copper, and cut, bend and file them, with the help and ideas of my husband, Joe. Next, I solder them together or paint them with silver, and add semiprecious stones by wiring them through holes punched in the metal or setting the stones in bezel cups. I also use the metal to create home accessories, such as yard-art and lightswitch plates. Some of the metal pendants are added onto beaded necklaces, and more recently, fibers. I have always tried to use as many different resources as possible for materials to allow for a more unusual selection, and my latest collection includes glass pieces I purchased on the island of Murano, as well as silks from Lake Como, Italy. I painted the silk shantung, tore it into strips and frayed the edges, and knotted it into cords for necklaces. My collection now includes stones, glass, wire, metal and fibers, in ever-evolving combinations to allow my customers to see new ideas each time they view my line, which is permanently in the Birmingham Museum of Art gift shop, as well as several boutiques around Birmingham, and at www.laruelbassett.com