World Artisan Gems

Woven Necklaces

Website Link: www.dianakirkpatrick.com

Where are you located? Florida, USA

Tell us a bit about yourself: As I was growing up, my family visited the Appalachians and the Blue Ridge mountains frequently. During these trips, I was immersed in local crafts and the weaving and jewelry I saw made me want to learn to create things of beauty myself.

I have a PhD in chemistry and I worked as a chemist for a number of years. I’ve been entranced with crystal forms for a long time; each one is so fascinatingly unique. I went to college in Washington, DC and I spent countless hours visiting the Smithsonian’s collections of minerals, gems and jewelry.

As the result of a chance encounter at a chemistry conference, I was introduced to Middle East Dance and soon began a long term love affair with this marvelous dance form. I eventually left my chemistry career to dance professionally and opened my own costuming and accessories business. When I sold that business, I returned to my first love – creating art jewelry.

When did you start designing jewelry? Although I was already designing and making jewelry, in the mid-1970s I began to study lapidary arts and silversmithing seriously. It was during this same period that I had my first experiences in working with wire and fibers. Since then, I’ve continued to explore various jewelry related disciplines and I’ve added gemstones, metal and wire to my woven work.

What do you make? I am a jewelry and fiber artist with a lifelong love for small wearable art jewelry pieces. I create designs that combine woven fine silver and metal elements, gems in woven wire and traditional soldered settings, and gemstones wrapped in silver or gold. I sometimes include woven fibers such as silk, metallics, and cotton in my work.

I believe that Nature’s rainbow of colors and textures is exciting and inspiring. As I mentioned earlier, I am intrigued by crystals and their various forms. I love the glitter of gemstones and crystals and I include them for their texture and eye-catching qualities whenever I can. I’m entranced with the many textures and colors that can be achieved with woven and braided fiber contrasted with the sheen of metal and gemstones.

earth colors necklace

What materials and methods do you use? Currently, I’m weaving with a variety of fibers and with fine silver. For each of my fiber pieces I use a loom that I have created from a piece of foam core. This technique is a variant of tapestry weaving. I use waxed linen or fine wire for my warp and I weave with a mixture of cotton, silk, and metallic fibers, combined with fine silver with gemstones. Carnelian, tiger eye, lapis, peridot, labradorite, onyx, and Swarovski crystals are some of my favorites.

My metal pieces are created from woven and coiled fine silver which forms the settings for each stone included in the design. Other metal and wire creations include bezel-set stones. Some of my designs include wire sculpture in sterling silver and gold wire.

Where do your design inspirations come from? My goal is always to create a work of art that brings enjoyment whether it is worn or displayed.

agate pendant

While the inspiration for my designs usually comes from nature and natural materials, my desire to innovate often leads me to new approaches and technique. Creativity has been a lifelong journey for me. I constantly experiment with new materials and approaches when I construct pieces, so each of my designs has unique characteristics and qualities. Each creation is truly one-of-a-kind.

Where can your products be seen?

Gainesville Artisans Guild, Gainesville, FL www.artisansguildgallery.com

My Etsy storewww.dianakirkpatrickart.etsy.com

My website/gallerywww.dianakirkpatrick.com

My blogwww.artyoucanwear.blogspot.com

Price range: $20 to $1000 and up

Tell us a little about one of your favorite creations: Infinite Horizons is a collection of free-form jewelry pieces that feature woven and coiled fine silver and gemstones in their designs. I enjoy designing and creating pieces like this because the final piece comes about as the result of an evolutionary process. The photo shows a necklace from the collection.

Infinite Horizons necklace

Thank you for your wonderful art – very unique and interesting as well as beautiful!