How It All Started
It was a series of serendipitous events that led me to open Andamento Studio & Gallery. I had been working with mosaics for about ten years, just for my own delight in making. I discovered I loved the process as much as the product, but even after giving pieces as gifts, the walls in my house were covered. I had a good friend who had a shop in Hampden (a wonderful neighborhood in Baltimore), and in 2017 she told me of a space for rent. I stood in the space for the first time and thought, “This could be fun!” With that detailed business plan in mind, I signed the lease!
In addition to my own work, I was thrilled to be able to offer a venue to other artists, with changing mosaic exhibits, and also jewelry. I was admiring the jewelry of a colleague and thought, “Hmmm. Mosaic jewelry could be fun too!”
Jewelry Materials
My first pieces were a combination of glass and stone. I started with small square earrings with beautiful glass as the background and a cairn (stack) of small round river pebbles. I am drawn to the bling of glass and to the earthiness, colors and textures of stones and minerals. At gem and mineral shows I discovered a whole world (literally – the planet) of materials that called to me. Just a few that I use often: geodes, fossilized ammonites, amethyst, slices of stalactites, pyrite, turquoise, kyanite, malachite and my favorites – Goddess Stones (click here for more about Goddess Stones).
I had learned of a mosaic technique called picassiette. In French it means “stolen plate,” which sounds so much better than the broken dishware it describes. People often use it to mosaic tables and such, but it makes great jewelry too!
As for the glass, there are rich and varied colors in stained glass and iridized glass, but my favorite is dichroic glass. Dichroic glass is made in a vacuum chamber. Micro layers of metals and oxides (as many as 30 – 50 layers!) are vaporized by an electron beam. The vapor condenses on the glass in a crystal structure and the glass displays shifting colors depending on lighting conditions.
And then there is Millefiori. Imported from Venice it is made by fusing different colors of glass canes or rods into multicolored patterns that show as flowers or other designs on the ends when the cane is cut. Add to all of this the use of beads and found objects (keys? buttons? small metal nuts, washers, screws?) and the possibilities are endless.
Jewelry Techniques and Features
Often, I have seen mosaic jewelry that is covered with a clear epoxy to keep the pieces in place. I prefer to both see and feel the textures of the materials, so I found a two-part clay that hardens like stone. I can embed the mosaic pieces and they are there forever. I wear them every day and nothing has ever come out (and customers say the same).
I am not a metalsmith, so I purchase the bezels (that’s the metal rim that holds the glass, minerals, or other materials) and then use mosaic techniques to fill them. I decided to use silver plated bezels to keep prices reasonable. As of now, I purchase bezels from two creative and meticulous makers and one of them is able to produce special orders from my own designs.
For necklaces, I found adjustable chains in sterling silver that my customers love. They are 30” long, so long enough to get on and off without having to undo the clasp, but a special bead on the chain allows adjustment to any length. Some folks prefer not to wear a metal chain, and I found beautiful hand dyed silk ribbons that accommodate a bead that makes them adjustable as well.
Links to More
I hope you will enjoy shopping or just browsing necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets, and also bottle stoppers and mezuzah cases that use the same techniques.
Please contact me with any questions or special requests!