Get your art on
\nSan Diego designers craft innovative, personalized jewelry
\nby Michael Klam<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
April Ordo\u00c3\u00b1ez
\nApril Ordo\u00c3\u00b1ez is a relative newcomer to the jewelry scene. She created her first line in 2005. Her pieces are whimsical and fun.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153My jewelry is positive, not pretentious,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Ordo\u00c3\u00b1ez. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It talks to you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d One particular necklace carries a pendant with a quote by English novelist Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley: The Beginning is Always Today. The materials for her colorful, eclectic pieces include hand-blown Venetian glass, 14-karat gold and enamel charms, vintage glass beads, leather and sterling components. Ordo\u00c3\u00b1ez\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s designs can be viewed at www.fifty07.com.<\/p>\n
Ginger Che<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Jewelry is visual language,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says designer and mixed-media artist Ginger Che. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A good piece can reflect exactly how you feel at that moment of your life.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Wearable art creates what Che calls yuan, a connection that can bring people together, not only with each other, but with the elements of the earth.<\/p>\n
Che tends to mix opposites, in yin-and-yang fashion, using a soft material like denim, for example, against a hard natural element like coral or shell. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I consider my work and jewelry to be for the contemporary goddess, women who have a connection to the earth but are very urban at the same time,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she says. Her designs can be found online at red-ginger.com and in her Bird Rock gallery, located at 5726 La Jolla Blvd.<\/p>\n
Che, like most designers of handmade pieces, collects gems, beads, antique jewelry, baubles and trinkets \u00e2\u20ac\u0153like a mad woman,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she says.<\/p>\n
Her search for usable materials ranges from trips abroad to find exotic wood beads and gemstones to treasure hunting through San Diego\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s antique and thrift stores.<\/p>\n
Linda Winkler<\/p>\n
Local designer Linda Winkler, creator of Linda Winkler Jewelry Designs, began her search for design ideas in Baja California. She says her primary source of inspiration is the sea: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think Mother Nature is my biggest influence.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
In the beginning, Winkler made shell earrings for her friends while barefoot on the beaches of Cabo San Lucas. Now, for her ever-growing clientele, she combines things like abalone, coral and pearls with suede and sterling silver to create what she calls \u00e2\u20ac\u0153high-quality daily wear.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Her custom designs are creative, unique, versatile and made to be worn. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153If they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not wearing it, it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t serve them,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Winkler. She has a line of wraps (necklaces that can be worn in a variety of ways) and her \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Whim\u00e2\u20ac\u009d necklaces feature a hook that allows the wearer to change pendants to match outfits and moods.<\/p>\n
Winkler also makes custom pieces and a few designs for men, including what she describes as a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153totally cool fossil on black suede with sterling hook-and-eye clasp.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Her designs can be seen online at www.lindawinkler.com.<\/p>\n
Elisa Gonsalves<\/p>\n
Vintage clothing aficionado and designer Elisa Gonsalves of Soul Source by Eli (www.soul sourcebyeli.com) employs \u00e2\u20ac\u0153any type of material to create new designs\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6. I use anything from vintage pieces, leather, horn, bone, glass, pearls,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she says.<\/p>\n
Some of her designs reflect her cultural heritage\u00e2\u20ac\u201dDay of the Dead calaveras (skulls) and crosses and a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153medley of images\u00e2\u20ac\u009d that remind her of her family. Her work is showing and selling in 20 stores around San Diego, including The Basement and North Park\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Kate Ross.<\/p>\n
Michelle Tamoush<\/p>\n
Michelle Tamoush of Moush.art Jewelry and Design began her career by selling earrings to Cirque du Soleil musicians who liked her work. Tamoush now makes jewelry in a variety of styles by wire wrapping, a process that involves the use of tools\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbent nose pliers, for example\u00e2\u20ac\u201dto bind and twist metals like sterling silver and gold-filled wire around gemstones.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I really like working with people one-on-one in terms of jewelry or an aesthetic,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Tamoush says. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My friends are my greatest customers.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d And, like most handcrafted-jewelry designers, her business is growing steadily by word of mouth.<\/p>\n
Tamoush\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s most recent pieces are made of wood, gold, white coral, carnelian and peridot, and can be viewed online at www.moushart.com. Her jewelry is currently available at Virgin Vintage in Hillcrest, Maeve Riley Boutique, Mabel\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, Highway One Gifts (in Cayucos, Calif.) and Veronica M.<\/p>\n
Vickie Riggs<\/p>\n
Award-winning local gemologist and designer Vickie Riggs made the transition from graphic design to jewelry, and her experiments led her to goldsmithing. She creates heirloom-quality jewelry with gemstones and precious metals. Riggs, a board member of the Women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Jewelry Association, edits the association\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s newsletter, and her pieces can be viewed at www.vickieriggsdesigns.com.<\/p>\n
10\/04\/06<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Get your art on San Diego designers craft innovative, personalized jewelry by Michael Klam April Ordo\u00c3\u00b1ez April Ordo\u00c3\u00b1ez is a relative newcomer to the jewelry scene. She created her first line in 2005. Her pieces are whimsical and fun. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My jewelry is positive, not pretentious,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Ordo\u00c3\u00b1ez. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It talks to you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d One particular necklace carries […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[411],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n