Jaime Faulkner
The world for me was always about patterns and colors, not just shapes and objects. When I was very young my two favorite things were to take pieces of metal, old screws, rusty nails, and other items from my father’s “junk drawer” and arrange them together in elegantly intertwined sets. My other favorite activity was collecting, cataloging, and studying rocks. Since I grew up on a gravel drive, my first stones were agates and chunks of quartz, which I learned how to tumble and polish in a small rock tumbler. Later, I learned to place these tumbled stones together with those rough pieces of metal.
As I realized that my love of crafting wearable art and jewelry could become a business, I began participating in crafts fairs and pop-up boutiques. I started taking business classes to hone skills needed to be an independent craftsman, and I enrolled in art and fashion classes through the Università Bocconi to further refine my artistic skills. I attended classes at the New Orleans School of Metalsmithing, where I learned how to work with brass, silver, copper and gold. Recently I was accepted into the Mississippi and Louisiana Craftsmen Guilds where my jewelry is displayed.
The wearable works of art that I create are completely unique, just as their owners are. No designs I make are ever replicated exactly, as each stone, pearl, gem, or mineral determines its own setting. I create jewelry for women and men who know style and value tradition, but are comfortable enough in their own skins to bend traditional styles. I believe that owning a handcrafted item of jewelry expresses an attitude towards life and a connection with our environment and our earth.
