Slowmade: Nourishing Conversations for Jewelry Artists and Metalsmiths

In this episode, I’m sitting down with Kathleen Wille, the artist behind High Five Lemon, for a warm and honest conversation about stones, perfectionism, custom work, and the deeply personal nature of making things by hand. Kathleen shares the story behind the name High Five Lemon, which began with her beloved pug, Lemon, and grew into a meaningful reflection on imperfection, handmade work, and th...

In this episode, I’m joined by jewelry artist Beth Judge for a conversation about the long and winding creative path, the seasons of life when our own dreams get placed on hold, and what it means to finally come back to the artist within. Beth’s love of jewelry began in high school, where she was lucky enough to have access to a metalsmithing program that introduced her to soldering, sawing, stone...

In this episode of the Slowmade Podcast, I’m talking with jewelry and lapidary artist Leora Coronel. Leora lives in Northern California, where her work is deeply connected to the Yuba River. She collects stones from the river, cuts them herself, and transforms them into jewelry that carries a strong sense of place. Our conversation begins with the long and winding path that led Leora into jewelry....

On this episode of the Slowmade Podcast, I’m joined by artist and jeweler Francesca Kennedy for a deeply thoughtful conversation about creativity, instinct, imagination, and making without rigid rules. Francesca has spent decades creating, first in clothing design in the Bay Area and later in jewelry, and one of the things I loved most about this conversation was her willingness to stay open creat...

Norah Payne first found her way to metalsmithing years ago before stepping away from it for over a decade. When she returned, it wasn’t with a clear plan, but as something to hold onto during a deeply isolated time—something that slowly became the work she couldn’t imagine letting go of. In this episode, we talk about building a body of work over time, following what feels right, and designing int...

If you’ve ever struggled with photographing your jewelry—or wondered if it might be time to invest in professional images—this conversation is going to give you a lot to think about. Today I’m joined by jewelry photographer Cole Rodger, whose work many artists in our industry trust to bring their pieces to life. Cole didn’t start out planning to photograph jewelry, but through years of experience...

Amy and Ray Bridewell share a creative partnership that brings together two very different backgrounds — metalsmithing and ceramics — in a way that feels both natural and entirely their own. Ray creates the stones, growing crystal gemstones in a kiln through a process shaped by heat, time, and years of experimentation. Amy then takes those one-of-a-kind stones and transforms them into jewelry, foc...

Kate Weber of Night Swim Designs joins me to talk about finding her way to metalsmithing during the uncertainty of 2020 after being furloughed from the travel industry. What began as something to fill the time quickly became a path she couldn’t imagine leaving, and working with metal felt like a language she already understood — a mix of creativity, structure, and problem-solving that finally clic...

Originally aired August 21, 2024, this is not only one of your favorite episodes, it's one of mine! I’m sure you know how it feels when you meet someone new at an event and within a few minutes you feel you’ve found a kindred spirit? Someone who speaks your language. Well, that is how I felt when I met Kerin Rose… and it’s not because Rose was my maiden name.  Kerin was a member of a metalsmithing...

Rachel Morris is a metalsmith, educator, and business consultant whose creative life has taken many turns — from early metalwork at age eight to theater, teaching, and even circus camp along the way. Through it all, metal has remained the steady thread. In this conversation, Rachel shares how teaching has shaped her own craft, why evolving your work sometimes means stepping outside of cohesion, an...

In this episode, I sit down with jewelry artist Suzanne Schwartz . Suzanne shares the story behind her signature stitched metal work and how handwork, memory, and influence quietly shape her designs. We talk about how her grandmother’s love of stitching and textiles left a lasting imprint, and how that thread continues to run through her jewelry today. The conversation also explores the realities...

In this episode of Slowmade , I’m joined by Janine DeCresenzo , a studio jeweler who has spent more than twenty years supporting herself through her craft — largely on the art show circuit. Janine shares what it’s really been like to build a life around travel, art festivals, and face-to-face connection with customers, and what that path has taught her about community, stamina, safety, and the lon...

Lately, I’ve been hearing the same question come up again and again — in DMs, emails, and quiet conversations with other jewelry artists: Should I be working with a coach right now? In this bonus episode , I’m sharing an honest reflection from my own experience — what I’ve learned after investing in courses, coaching, and masterminds over the years, what ultimately felt supportive (and what didn’t...

My guest today is Robin Wade and I think she has really mastered the art of weaving in story to each one of her pieces imbuing them with life and personality. I’ve loved her jewelry for a long time, but I’ve recently fallen head over heels in love with her ceramic rattles which you will hear us talk about today. Robin’s journey as an artist began in high school, when her art teacher recognized she...

Laura Jane Bouton is one of the metalsmith’s I’ve had the pleasure of being in community with for some time now, but there was so much I really didn't know about Laura. I was simply thrilled when she agreed to share some time with me for a long overdue conversation. Laura’s mother was a metalsmith and her son studied goldsmithing while they lived abroad in Italy, but it wasn’t until she could feel...

Allison Ford is a studio artist and educator whose work lives in the in-between — between jewelry and sculpture, storytelling and adornment, play and meaning. Based in Indianapolis, she has been part of the Harrison Center community since 2009, building a creative life shaped by curiosity, community, and a deep commitment to handmade work. In this episode, Allison shares her winding path back to m...

In this episode, I’m talking with artist and goldsmith Elisa McLaughlin , the creative artist behind Truly Kindred . Elisa’s path has wound through watercolor, music, candle making, and raising five kids — all of which eventually led her to the jewelry bench. Her reflections on finding goldsmithing, navigating her first real creative dry spell, and learning to trust the natural rhythm of inspirati...

In this episode, I sit down with Catherine Marche , a French-born goldsmith and designer now based in London, whose jewelry feels alive with movement, color, and emotion. Catherine’s journey to the bench wasn’t a straight path — she began her career as a computer scientist before following her curiosity into the world of fine jewelry. We talk about how her life of travel and discovery has shaped h...

What does it really mean to live a creative life that’s true — not tidy, not performative, but real? In this conversation, jewelry artist Susan Wachler shares her journey from a multi-generational family of jewelers to her own late-in-life return to the bench after decades as a psychotherapist. Her work carries the weight of both lineage and lived experience — raw, textural, and deeply human. We t...

Have you ever had a season in your creative life where slowing down wasn’t a choice—it was the only option left? Maybe your body demanded rest or maybe the joy of making faded under pressure and you started to wonder if you had lost that spark for the work that you once loved so much. That’s where today’s conversation begins. Laney Clark —known to many as Silent Goddess —has been making jewelry fo...

Have you ever wondered if you can truly grow your business when you love to make every piece with your own two hands? It was a question that came up in my own growing business many years ago and it’s a question that comes up often in this community — how do you scale without losing the soul of your work? How do you expand, maybe even hire help, but still keep that direct connection to what you’re...

Today I’m talking with Tiffany Chow , jewelry artist and founder of Depo Market on Maui — a beautiful little shop that’s part boutique, part community, and entirely built from love. Tiffany’s path has been anything but ordinary. After studying at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and running a successful jewelry line in New York, she felt an intuitive pull to move home to Hawaii. That dec...

In this beautiful conversation, I’m talking with jewelry artist Dawn Hemstreet of Hawk, Hummingbird & Moon . Dawn has this thoughtful, unfiltered way of sharing her story that I know will pull you right in. She came to jewelry later in life, around 49, and her path is such a reminder that it’s never too late to listen to that tug inside and step into something new. In our conversation, Dawn ta...

A graphic designer and lifelong poet, Teresa Kiplinger came to metal later in life as a way to keep herself busy through the end of a painful marriage. Not long after, she experienced the unimaginable loss of her teenaged stepson.  Wearing her pain like a heavy cloak, she turned to her metalwork and poetry to work through her grief, making a bracelet in his memory, etched with a poem to him. This...

Karen Higgins is a self taught artist who has had a life long fascination with the natural world, its interconnectedness and intelligent design.  Her work combines silver clay and traditional metalsmithing methods to showcase the beauty and elegance found in roadside weeds, bits of shell, feather and seed pods that one might otherwise overlook, but we are always surrounded by.  Karen is not only a...