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Brenda Smith
Brenda Smith, Biography
Brenda Smith is an artist, metal smith and award-winning designer currently residing with her husband in Atlanta, Georgia. Her work has been exhibited in many galleries and jewelry stores, including the Forbes Gallery and Faber Gallery in NYC, the Carnegie, Lizzardo and the Smithsonian Museums of Natural History.
A former creative director with more than 25 years of advertising, design and design teaching experience on the university as well as personal level, she easily transitioned from graphic arts to innovative jewelry design. “Jewelry design is simply another form of art and design utilizing metals and gemstones as the medium.” “I also enjoy teaching jewelry design since it is a win-win situation,” she says. “It keeps me thinking creatively in a communicative way, be it verbally or visually.”
Brenda’s work is influenced by a myriad of thoughts, symbols and unique materials. She strives to create jewelry that fuses sculptural design with powerful symbols and inspirational messages. “I’m not interested in creating a variation of something that is done everyday. What’s the point? They are sculptural, and have movement and concept. My designs are inside just waiting to emerge as wearable art with a story. It is a part of who I am.”
Her work has also been featured in jewelry publications such as “Color-n-Ice,” Lapidary Journal’s, “Jewelry Artist” magazine, Canada’s jewelry magazine, “Jewellery Business,” the United Kingdom’s publication “Gems & Jewellery” and AGTA’s “Prisim,” JCK, and NYC’s “Promenade.” Celebrity stylist, Michael O’Connor, featured Brenda’s Earrings at the Academy Awards and on Los Angeles television. He jewelry has been worn for the Oscars by Ella Thomas and the Emmys by Bridged Coulter, the wife of Don Cheadle.
Brenda had been commissioned to create a piece of pearl jewelry, of her choosing, by The Cultured Pearl Association of America. All of her design and production processes were filmed for insertion into a documentary produced by The Cultured Pearl Association about pearl jewelry from the pearl farm to the finished piece of jewelry.
Other awards and recognition: Winner of MJSA Custom Jewelry Designer of the Year, winner International Pearl Design Competition sponsored by the Cultured Pearl Association of America, seven times; Royal Asscher’s Rebel Chique Diamond Design Competition; Palladium Alliance International Design Competition, two times; the AGTA Spectrum Award for Object of Art; and the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History acquisitions twice.
She earned her BFA in design and her BA from Kent State University and her EMBA from Kennesaw State University. She is currently a member of AGTA, CPAA, GIA, SNAG, WJA, Georgia Goldsmith Group, The Southeastern Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Inc., is on board of Healing for the Nations and is Atlanta chapter president of the National League of American Pen Women headquartered in Washington D.C.. She is the mother of four and grandmother of eight.
Jason Mcleod
A message from Jason
"I find jewelry to be the perfect meeting of design, art, and precision craftsmanship. Good design drives my process. Some themes I explore in the creation of jewelry are time travel/quantum physics, the edges of reality, the questioning of impossibilities, the notion of self-evidence, and love. Precious metals have many qualities that make them fascinating and satisfying to work with, including their range of potential surface finishes. I often use a high polish finish - a possibility unique to gold and silver. My Time Traveler pieces feature patterns made up of symbols, celestial images, formulas, dates, and custom pieces can include personalized information provided by the customer. The Bubbles Collection is based on a “less is more” design approach. My Dark Chocolate and Oxidized Collections use the beautiful, striking contrast between oxidized silver and high karat gold. "
- Jason Mcleod.
All of Jason's pieces are created in 14k, 18k, or 22k gold, sterling silver, platinum, high quality gemstones, and other natural materials. They handmake every piece.
Jason’s work has earned numerous awards for design and craftsmanship, and has been featured in several significant exhibitions. Most recently, two cuff bracelets from his Time Traveler Collection were part of Out of This World! Jewelry in the Space Age, an exhibit first shown at the Forbes Galleries in New York City, and then at The Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. Jason has received awards at the Taubman Museum of Art art show, the Woodland Art Fair in Lexington, KY, the Atalaya Arts & Craft Festival in South Carolina, and the Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival, among others.
Frederic Duclos
Writes Frederic, “As I design a piece of jewelry, I envision a woman wearing it. Her face, silhouette, and personality reflect the statement I am trying to achieve. My goal is to capture the fundamental qualities of a woman’s features, and complement them with refined embellishments. The best tribute I receive is when I meet a woman who is wearing one of my creations.”
Awards
Frederic Duclos received his first design award during the inauguration of the first fashion jewelry design contest sponsored by the now defunct ACCENT Magazine. This magazine focused on accessories in the fashion industry. He placed FIRST for sterling silver design.
In February of 1998 he received his second award for outstanding fashion sterling design from ACCENT Magazine.
In 2012, Frederic entered the JCK Jeweler’s Choice Awards. He won two awards in the pearl and fashion categories.
2013 Brought another two awards in sterling and fashion
2014 Brought first place awards in sterling and fashion categories
2015 Frederic won awards in the sterling and fashion categories
2018 Frederic won first and second place in the sterling silver categories