Joan Z. Horn Valentine Collection

Heart Necklace N6 by Joan Z. Horn.

    Joan Z. Horn has designed a special collection of jewelry for Valentines just for the patrons of Smith Galleries.
    All the pieces in this grouping feature a heart symbol...what could say 'I love you' better? The pieces are constructed from sterling silver and 14k gold and include various stones.
    Joan writes..."In my studio I fabricate each piece of jewelry. I create individual elements from Sterling Silver and 14Kt. Gold, using traditional and innovative hand tools. My bench contains tubing jigs that are like old friends. My metal starts out as flat sheet, round, square and flat wire, and tubing. I solder individual elements together using an acetylene/oxygen torch. I enhance pieces with freshwater pearls and semi-precious stones, making color combinations with garnet, blue topaz, citrine, peridot, iolite and amethyst. My jewelry pieces are studies in line, color and movement.
    I love working in my studio, and my hands feel most at home when they have a pair of pliers in

Joan Z. Horn at work in her studio.

them. Tools that were never intended for jewelry lead me into whole new directions. I question my auto mechanic about devices he uses. When the plumber comes for household repairs I inspect his tubing cutters and torch tip. A tube wringer from a dental supply catalog inspires new lines of jewelry. I visualize everything in the world as if it were a piece of jewelry. Musical notes from the sheet music in choir become a brooch pattern. Gates in Barcelona become a pendant. Other loves include riding my bike, baking bread, choir and traveling.
    I was born and raised in New York. I graduated with a BFA in Metalsmithing from Tyler School of Art, Temple University."
    Jean and Wally Smith met Joan more than 25 years ago at a craft fair in Philadelphia. They fell in love with her jewelry then and have featured it in the gallery continuously ever since.
    Smith Galleries is located in suite J11 of the Village at Wexford at 1000 William Hilton Parkway on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 800.272.3870 info@smithgalleries.com