Jennifer Quinton Handcrafted Jewelry – Mid-Century Modern Inspiration

I thought this was a happy time of year to introduce you to Jennifer Quinton, who’s work I really love. You will quickly see that her jewelry makes for perfect last minute baubles to finish checking off your gift list.

Jennifer Q. (Q for Cutie) was born and raised in California but spent her most important (and creatively formative) years in New York City. While she loved working as a graphic designer in Manhattan, it is only when she moved to Brooklyn that she discovered “home”. Brooklyn is where she first participated in arts & crafts fairs, the first of which was the Artists & Fleas Fair that’s still going strong in Williamsburg. Jennifer was around to assist when a good friend started her own market, the now thriving Brooklyn Indie Market in Carroll Gardens. (To note: this weekend they’re doing a special fundraiser to benefit St. John’s Bread and Life)

Jennifer’s jewelry (See her line HERE on Etsy)combines geometric and/or organic forms created from sterling silver or gold-filled wire, soldered, hammered, often embellished with semiprecious stones. The shapes, and even the names she chooses reflect her love for mid-century modern design. She’ll often pay homage to early twentieth-century German and Austrian art and designers, including Gustav Klimt and Paul Klee and, from time to time, a little Charles Rennie Mackintosh pops in for an  Art Deco touch.

I have a deep passion for color; it sounds odd, or perhaps overly simplistic, but there it is. Combinations that evoke an almost visceral joy, or a subtle comfort, are thrilling to me. But so is a solid block of one pretty hue. My favorite stone to use is called spinel. You can find it in many pieces even if it isn’t the main stone used. I fell upon it on a day when I was looking to buy a strand of multi-colored sapphires. I was craving them as though they were edible (that’s another appeal some stones have for me). But they were prohibitively expensive, and I noticed a few strands of spinel nearby, and I was hooked because of its equally beautiful versatility. Spinel also comes in any color you can imagine, though the most precious is the red/pink variety that is often mistaken for ruby (and so has ended up in a lot of crowns over the years!).

Her pieces reflect her own taste for simplicity and wearability. There is elegance in the lushness of the stones but never fuss. This work is dedicated to providing timeless yet totally affordable luxury.

Nice way to spread tiny shiny bit of joy this season, don’t you think? Oh, and there is Free Shipping on all holiday sales and Jennifer delivers all her jewelry in gift-ready packaging. Cool.