Victoria Varga Jewelry at Smith Galleries

Victoria Varga

Artists are typically innovators, stretching the limits of their imagination and skill looking for interesting materials to incorporate into their chosen medium. Victoria Varga is an example of a jeweler who is constantly looking for new and innovative ways to construct her “mini sculptures” or art to wear pieces.

Victoria typically begins by cutting out her designs in silver sheet. She then fabricates a rim with silver (or sometimes stone or synthetic ivory) and builds a hollow box for the inlays. The inlays may be 23 karat gold leaf, copper or pastel pigments that are applied with resin from the back. The use of these non-traditional materials in combination with the silver results in lightweight, three-dimensional inlays. The pieces

Necklace & Earrings by
Victoria Varga

are then finished by polishing the cured resin and silver to a high luster before they are assembled into the final piece of jewelry. Sound simple? Well, there are over thirty steps required to hand fabricate each piece!

Necklace & Earrings by
Victoria Varga

So how does one become interested in producing such unconventional jewelry? Victoria received the BS in fine arts from Skidmore College. After completing her graduate studies in metals at Syracuse University, she and her husband, Daniel Brouder, moved to New York City where they co-founded the studio that bears her name. Fourteen years later they moved their family and studio to the coast of Maine where they continue to hand fabricate ’s designs. She has always been challenged to transform a static material like silver into a miniature work of art that has strikingly clean graphic design both lightweight and comfortable to wear. Her bold use of color in combination with highly polished silver makes a statement. Her signature line of jewelry has a very modern yet timeless appeal and reflects her personality.

Necklace & Earrings by
Victoria Varga

 Smith Galleries is located in the Village at Wexford, Suite J11 (UPSTAIRS), on Hilton Head Island. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 843-842-2280

John and Linda Whitney at Smith Galleries

Necklace, bracelet, and earrings by John & Linda Whitney

 New to Smith Galleries is the jewelry of John and Linda Whitney. The Whitneys have been metal-smiths for many years. They strive to maintain the goal to produce a smile on the patron's face by creating a jewelry work that is well crafted but very affordable. All of their work is made from beginning to end by using the traditional metal working technique of fabrication.

John & Linda Whitney

    When they started creating pieces in the early 1970's they were all sterling silver and gold, but now they have expanded and added red brass, copper, and nickel silver. These copper based alloys and polymer clay have added colors and oxidations that were never possible with traditional metals. One example of this is how they continue to experiment with polymer clay as a way to add color and surface design to jewelry. Only by using this clay can they make the light weight pieces with motifs inspired by African textiles and Aboriginal art of the South Seas.
    The cut pieces of metal are shaped over silver-smithing stakes or tree stumps with the use of forming and raising hammers. The surface is sometimes chased to add in a surface description or a corrugation. Then the work is assembled with silver solder and gas torches. Natural stones are used to add integrity to the designs.
    Their studio is a little like stepping back into the pre-industral age as they only use hand tools with the exceptions of the finishing equipment. They even use non-toxic chemicals, salt and vinegar to clean the metals surface.
    The Whitneys write, "Our ever bonding love for the plasticity of metal and the joy of creating with our hands is our daily inspiration."
    Smith Galleries is located upstairs at 1000 William Hilton Parkway in suite J11 of  The Village at Wexford. Gallery hours are 10-6 Monday through Saturday. 800.272.3870

Eileen Sutton Jewelry at Smith Galleries

Eileen Sutton in her studio.

Smith Galleries features the jewelry of Eileen Sutton.

Eileen tells us her story..."I was born and raised in New York, on Long Island. When I pierced my first piece of copper plate at age 17, I was instantly hooked. I was somewhat of a metal purist until my last semester at Tyler School of Art. It was then that I began working with cast resin. Incorporating other elements is sporadic, whereas the constant interest of resin remains. When I finished school, I stayed in Philadelphia because there was a great community of artists and craftspeople.

My first studio was in the space of the late Olaf Skoogfors, a pioneer in the field of art jewelry. It was a shared space with some graduated students from Tyler School of Art. This workspace was more than just memorable, it was an experience that paved the way for where I would go with my work. There is also a strong bicycling community in and around Philadelphia, which became almost equally important to me. Some of my earliest pieces were from lines I saw painted on the road while cycling. It was a thoughtful place to live. I realized then, I didn’t have to go back to N.Y.C. to get inspired.

My forms are definitely influenced by the color and materials I use, along with what I see in the world around me. Now that I have a family, I don’t travel as far to see the world, but presently going to an arboretum or working in the garden is enough to spur some vision."

Necklace and Earrings by Eileen Sutton

Smith Galleries is located in suite J11 of the Village at Wexford at 1000 William Hilton Parkway on Hilton Head Island, SC. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 800.272.3870

Smith Galleries Celebrates 25 Years of Jewelry by Joan Z. Horn

We received a call recently from Joan Horn. She is a fabulous jeweler whom we admire greatly. She said, "Do you know that you purchased my jewelry at the very first show for the trade I ever did twenty five years ago?"

Since that time, there has not been a day when her jewelry was not well represented at Smith Galleries. In addition, we have become good friends with Joan and her husband Burt who is a fabulous high school science teacher.

She went on to say that she had a great selection of pieces on hand that she would like to offer to our customers at special pricing to show her gratitude for their support over these many years. You can see this special selection here.The collection is being offered on a first come, first serve basis. There are only single pieces of each piece and when it is gone, there will be no more at these special prices.

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

Victoria Varga Jewelry featured at Smith Galleries

Victoria Varga

Smith Galleries features the jewelry of American artist Victoria Varga.

Victoria Varga received her BS in fine arts from Skidmore College in 1984. After completing her graduate studies in metals at Syracuse University she moved to New York City with her husband, Daniel Brouder, where the couple co-founded the studio that bears her name. After fourteen years in Manhattan Daniel and Victoria relocated their studio to the coast of Maine where they continue to hand fabricate jewelry of Victoria’s design. From her early years in New York Victoria has crafted jewelry that combines precious metals with a variety of materials that are often discounted as  ordinary. Victoria has perfected a process of combing sterling silver, 23 karat gold leaf, resin, crushed stone and common artist pigments to create her signature line of jewelry. Instantly recognized for its timeless good looks, Varga jewelry delights both men and woman with its innovative combination of unexpected materials and whimsical design.

Victoria Varga handcrafts jewelry that reflects in its clean design and bold graphics, the very best tenants of fine art while redefining the modern spirit.

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

Smith Galleries Features Stuart Nye Jewelry

Dogwood Pin by Stuart Nye Jewelry

Smith Galleries has featured the jewelry of Stuart Nye for many years. The jewelry is classically designed and inspired by nature.

In the depths of the depression, Stuart Nye bought some second hand tools and a little silver. Without any experience in jewelry or metal work, but with good taste, an eye for beauty and faith in himself, he began to make a few simple bangle bracelets. Through trial and error he learned the nature of his materials and began to fashion silver into the leaves and flowers so characteristic of our jewelry today. From that day in 1933 when Mr. Nye began, our shop has changed in many ways. It has moved from an attic room through a series of additions to a garage to the rustic building built especially for their use in 1948 which is now call "The Shop".

The range of products has changed too. The original work was in Sterling Silver and this continues to be the most popular product. Copper was added during the metal shortages of World War II. Brass was added during the silver price explosion in the winter of 1979-80.

"The Shop" of  Stuart Nye Jewelry

Over the years they have invented many of their production methods. Through trial and error they have refined them and shared them with one another. Their artisans are trained in the shop and seldom have had prior training or experience in metal work or jewelry making.

Their tools are still simple ones. They make chisels from old files, and punches from nail sets or common nails. They make cutting tools and chisels from tool steel and use hammers and anvils large enough to remind one of an old blacksmith shop.

The beauty of their jewelry does not come from the tools. It comes from the inspiration that nature can give to a man who will take the time to look and from the skill and dedication of our craftsmen. We are mountain people with a heritage of craftsmanship.

Stuart Nye jewelry is of a quality that only a hand craftsman with a sense of pride in his work can produce, and it is produced at a modest price so that ordinary people can own and enjoy it. This was Stuart Nye's goal. This is still the goal today.

Smith Galleries is located in suite J11 of the Village at Wexford at 1000 William Hilton Parkway on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. 800.272.3870 info@smithgalleries.com

The jewelry of Philippa Roberts is featured at Smith Galleries

Philippa Roberts

The jewelry of Philippa Roberts is a mainstay at Smith Galleries on Hilton Head Island. The gallery is featuring a special exhibit of her jewelry as part of their 26th anniversary.

Philippa was born in South Africa to a jewelry making family, she was naturally drawn to working with metals and stones. She graduated from Miami University (in Ohio) with a BFA in Metal Design and Photography. With California calling, she moved to San Francisco in 1994 to begin her career in jewelry design. Philippa started out working for different designers to develop and hone her jewelry and business skills. In 1996 Philippa established her first studio in the basement of her San Francisco apartment building. What started as a small, hopeful business has developed into a large design studio and retail store. She now works from a studio attached to her shop in Oakland.

Philippa’s signature look is simple, organic shapes combined with beautifully cut gemstones. Her love of the ocean plays a large role in the selection of clean, blue and green stones in many of her pieces. Philippa’s creativity stems from the nature around her, yet she also incorporates a feeling of the urban, with lines and patterns that imitate architecture and design seen around the city. Philippa creates all the original pieces by carving in wax or fabricating in metal. Her selection of new stones for each season defines how her collections will come to life. “I love going to the gem shows and being inspired by all the stones I see. To put the colors together and develop a collection is one of my favorite parts of the job.” Once the pieces are ready for production, her team of skilled crafts people make each piece by hand in her Oakland studio.

Using silver as her main medium, Philippa creates necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings that can be worn formally or informally, with an appeal to all ages. “I love to hear from customers that mine is their favorite everyday jewelry, or that they have been wearing one of my pieces for the past ten years. It is my goal to make jewelry that is beautiful, simple, wearable, and most importantly, timeless.”

Philippa Roberts jewelry is carried in specialty shops around the world. It has been a dream come

Necklace and Earrings by Philippa Roberts

true for her to be featured in such esteemed art museums as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the DeYoung Museum, and the Museum of Art and Design in New York City. Philippa lives in Oakland with her husband, Brian and their daughter Charlotte.

Smith Galleries is located in suite J11 of the the Village at Wexford at 1000 William Hilton Parkway on Hilton Head Island. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 800.272.3870

Joyce Fritz Polymer Pins Featured at Smith Galleries

Sea Turtle Pin by Joyce Fritz

Smith Galleries on Hilton Head Island, SC, features the polymer jewelry of Joyce Fritz.
Color and patterns are key to Joyce's process. She uses the technique of  millefiori, an Italian word meaning "one thousand flowers".  This ancient method originally used in glass designs has been adapted by Joyce to create the intricacy and delicacy of a dragonfly's wings.

The clay is prepared and conditioned, using a food processor to mix colors, then kneading every batch by hand. Sheets of clay are rolled out, using a pasta machine to achieve varying thicknesses. Sheets and coils of colored clay are assembled into a cane or loaf, where the design can be seen in cross section. The loaf is made larger than it needs to be, then carefully squeezed and stretched out to its final size, while maintaining the consistency and proportion of the pattern throughout the length of the loaf. As the cane is reduced in size, the color relationships change and patterns become smaller and more intricate.  Thin slices of these canes then become the wings of the insects and the colored bodies of other creatures. Metallic leaf, metallic powders, and glitter are also used to embellish the surfaces of the work.

Joyce Fritz working in her studio.

Other parts of the insects are created and stored until needed.  Joyce plies several strands of recycled telephone wire together to make long lengths of leg material.  She made her own machine to do this, using an old sewing machine motor and foot pedal control.  Antennae , made of wire and beads, are also made in batches.  When all of the elements of a particular insect are made, they are assembled in the studio  in small batches (or hatches!)

Smith Galleries is located in the award winning Village at Wexford at 1000 William Hilton Parkway on Hilton Head Island, SC. The gallery features the work of approximately 300 American artists. Gallery hours are 10-6 Monday through Saturday year round. 843.842.2280 info@smithgalleries.com

Swirl Stone Jewelry by Laura Timmins featured at Smith Galleries

Smith Galleries on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, features the jewelry of Laura Timmins.

Her work is influenced by a past career as a research scientist, from which she brings a unique discipline, attention to detail and a passion for investigating how things work. Other ideas that are impressed on her art are her interest in natural growing forms, patterns, and structures and the interrelationship between them.

Many of the processes used to create these pieces have been invented in her studio, and are unique to her work. Colored and translucent polymer clays are blended and layered together to construct the intricate patterning in each piece. Patterns often contain gold or silver leaf and other inclusions embedded in translucent clay. Patterned clay pieces are combined, creating a rich polymer collage. The collage is then sculpted into shape, using an internal wire armature for support when needed, and cured with heat. The spiraling design seen in many of my pieces is created by twisting the polymer collage between two glass sheets prior to shaping and curing.

Smith Galleries is a gallery of fine craft, art, jewelry, picture framing, and creative toys for children. The gallery is located on Hilton Head Island, SC, in the award winning Village at Wexford at 1000 William Hilton Parkway in suite J11 (UPPER LEVEL). Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 843.842.2280 info@smithgalleries.com