Goldsmithing is my passion. 

Gems and jewelry fascinated me since early childhood. I loved reading and hearing about fantastic jewels worn by princesses – real and fairytale ones. In those early years, I researched precious stones and metals, developing a love for Earth’s treasures.

My formal education started at California College of Arts & Crafts (now California College of the Arts) with a BFA in Metal Arts. I began my training as a metalsmith there, and continued my studies after graduation at the Kulicke-Starke Academy, Fashion Institute of Technology, and the Gemological Institute of America, all in New York, and at the Revere Academy in San Francisco. I explored processes and techniques involving direct fabrication/gold-smithing, alloying gold, wax carving, casting, enameling, granulation, rendering, and gemology.

Early on, a family friend pointed out that regardless what’s happening in the economy, people still get married and buy rings. That became my major focus. Over the next several decades, I produced many wedding and engagement sets – some very basic and traditional; others, elaborate bespoke creations.

In order to sell what I produced, I participated in juried craft markets and small select galleries from coast to coast from the late 1970’s into the early 2000’s. My focus gradually shifted to creating custom designs for local clientele, while continuing to supply limited edition jewelry to my wholesale accounts. During this period, my studio was located in downtown San Francisco, in the historic Phelan Building, a longtime center for the local jewelry trade for more than half a century. I loved having access to casters, finishers, stone-setters, and gem dealers, all under the same roof!

In 2013 I moved my workshop/studio into the Sanchez Art Center in Pacifica, California. This was a radical change from my previous location in the heart of downtown San Francisco. This community art center in the suburbs provides workspace for about 30 artists working in a variety of media. While I miss the easy access to jewelry tradespeople with specialized skills, being part of an artist community provides a very different kind of support.

During my early studies in metal arts, I researched ancient techniques such as mokume gane from Japan, metales casados (married metals) from Mexico, and granulation from ancient Etruria, all strongly influencing my sense of esthetics and design. I create my own palette of multicolor gold alloys in shades of green, rose, and yellow in 14K, 18K, and 22K. I also use palladium white gold alloys in 14K and 18K, platinum, palladium, and silver – both traditional sterling as well as the newer non-oxidizing alloys. Much of my jewelry is fabricated directly, although I also produce cast pieces, sometimes combining a variety of techniques in the same piece. Blending elements of several techniques enables me to create a hybrid fusion of multicolor and multi-karat gold compositions, each with its own unique rhythm and flow. Among my favorite gems are pearls of all kinds, fancy color diamonds and sapphires, tourmalines and boulder opals.

Inspired by nature, I live by the ocean where the moonlight shimmers on the waves and the wind etches patterns into the sand. Sometimes I incorporate literal images such as leaves or flowers into the design; sometimes abstract patterns and textures. A characteristic hammered texture I use in many rings has been compared to everything from tree bark to flowing water. 

At this point in my life, I consider myself semi-retired. “Semi“ because I’m still creating new pieces (check my Instagram – elizabethross15, or my Facebook page – Elizabeth Ross Fine Jewelry, or my Etsy shop/ElizabethRossJewelry). I still take on some custom jobs, and participate in open studio events locally. This website presents a retrospective tour of my work. 

Self-adornment goes back to earliest days of human history. That jewelry is as much a part of one’s identity as one’s signature is my guiding principle.