I like to think I have always been a jewelry designer. I started designing jewelry when I was a little girl, only six or seven, making necklaces from dental floss and seed beads that I would foist on as many of my parents’ unsuspecting friends as possible.  At age 12 I made my first sale while on a bus to Vancouver, Canada. I was absorbed in designing a new set of earrings when the woman sitting next to me asked about them admiringly. I sold them to her for $10, and rode a euphoric high the rest of the way home. That was my beginning...

I’ve changed mediums a little since I was six, and my passion now is sterling silver and gold, precious and semi-precious stones.  I try to re-imagine what I first see, or what first comes into my head.  A leaf falling from a tree turns into leaves wrought from silver.  A branch of cherry blossoms in full bloom becomes a single blossom flowering in metal.  A smooth round bead is matched with one that looks hand chiseled from a mountain.  To create the pieces I dream up I use techniques that allow me to form metal, frequently hammering and forging silver and gold into shapes that I can then highlight singly, or combine with beads or natural gemstones.  To finish my pieces I often use a fine sandpaper or steel wool finish, giving the piece luster without polish.  I am drawn to metal that seems to glow and has a warm feel on the skin.  I don’t like things that are perfectly shiny or perfectly straight.  I crave imperfection.

I am inspired by nature and by the people around me, and I create jewelry that I love and that I hope others will love.  I strive to design jewelry with a current, feminine, funky feel. I hope to give each piece its own unique character so that when you see it you will feel like you’ve finally found what you’ve been looking for.

Amy Wing