BA, Studio Art (Jewelry & Metals)

Artist Statement

This body of work is a collection of jewelry featuring Petoskey stones. The Petoskey stone is a fossil of once living coral that inhabited the tropical seas that covered the earth 419 million years ago during the middle Devonian period. The coral was wiped out during the great dying off period in which almost more than 90% of all living organisms that inhabited the earth perished. The stones end up on the shore of Michigan today due to the ever evolving environment. We sometimes forget how much our planet has been through within the short amount of time it has existed. This collection of jewelry is meant to be a reminder that change is constant as well as bring a physical connection between the past and present. I picked all the stones on the shores of northern Lake Michigan, where I have spent most my summers since the age of 10. I have always found these fossils incredibly fascinating and wanted to bring out each stones individual qualities through the process of manipulation. I cut the stones by hand creating symmetric and asymmetric shapes to create interesting visual composition. The main focus of each piece is the uniquely shaped and polished stone bringing the fossil of the once living coral new life. The stone is set in an understated silver structure with delicate prong settings that are highly polished to elevate the preciousness of each piece.