Susan Mahlstedt

There is a joy in hand-fabricating with metals. Solving technical challenges in order to create the look and vision I want keeps me constantly intrigued. My current inspirations come from the patterns and textures of sand dollars, shells and water while catching the light. Some of the techniques used to create texture are carving with burrs and stamping with different shapes of steel stamps. The materials I use are sterling silver, 18K and 14K gold with precious and semi-precious stones as accents. The finishes include depletion gilding (a heating process that turns the silver a white color), oxidizing, satin and polished highlights. I hope to create jewelry that the wearer finds graceful yet strong, artistic, yet comfortable to wear.