ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Angie Howard

by Valerie

 


The Artisan Group is proud to announce this week’s Artist Spotlight Feature is Angie Howard of Angie’s Jewelry Design!



_________________________________________

ANGIE’S JEWELRY DESIGN

We caught up with Angie and asked her a few questions about her beautiful handcrafted jewelry line, and her experiences so far working with TAG. Here’s what she said:

Tell us a little bit about your shoppe. 
Angie’s Jewelry Design was born in Hong Kong. Several years ago I spent a few months there on business. China has always fascinated me because of its rich history, beautiful art & architecture, sense of mystery and the endurance of its people. There’s always been a rich emotional attachment for me that I still can’t explain.

Inspired by the gemstones I saw in Hong Kong’s Jade Market, I collected beaded bracelets and necklaces and brought them back to the States. Once home I took some classes on making beaded jewelry and dove right in. I moved on to wire wrapping purchased cabochons. Then I discovered I could cut my own cabs and my fate was sealed. I could decide on size, shape and type of stone myself. I fell in love with the variety and stunning artistry of natural stones. My shop (garage!) is chock-full of stones, saws, and polishing equipment. I also discovered that I was part of a group called lapidaries: people who share my passion and help me with the knowledge and skills I need to progress with this art form.

It all came full circle when my son began teaching at a Chinese university in Nanjing. He was there for a few years, and my husband & I visited him several times. It should come as no surprise that I combed markets in Nanjing, looking for unique stones. I found beautiful Yangtze Rain Flower Stones, Hetian White Jade and more that I can’t name. I carried a luggage scale so I could make sure my rock-filled bags wouldn’t be over the airlines’ weight limits! While not exploring Nanjing we traveled to many parts of the country and experienced the Great Wall in Beijing, the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xian and Yellow Mountain in Huang Shan, among other amazing places.  On our last visit we were privileged to travel to Tibet, a country beyond compare. I acquired some beautiful agates from vendors at mountain passes on our way to Mt. Chomolungma, also called Mt. Everest.


What is your favorite product from your shoppe and why?
My favorite piece is a necklace I made from Owyhee Jasper with fused and forged links of Argentium Sterling Silver. I don’t often name my pieces, but this one I call “Misty River”. There’s a stream running across the bottom; branches and leaves on the right. See it? The stone is a colorful scenic jasper that was named for the Owyhee Riveron the Idaho-Oregon border. Owyhee jasper often depicts desert scenes, high mountain ranges, winding roads & meadows, or even the seas. The name reflects an Anglicized spelling of “Hawaii”.

Here’s the story behind the stone: Many “Owyhees” sailed to the American Northwest coast and found employment along the Columbia, where they joined trapping expeditions or worked at some of the fur trade posts. In 1819, three Owyhees joined Donald Mackenzie’s Snake expedition, which went out annually into the Snake country for the North West Company, a Montreal-based organization of Canadian fur traders. The three Hawaiians left the main party during the winter of 1819-20 to explore the then unknown terrain of what since has been called the Owyhee River and mountains and disappeared. They were presumed dead and no further information regarding their whereabouts has ever been found. In memory of these Native Hawaiians, British fur trappers started to call the region “Owyhee” and the name stuck.

When you’re not handcrafting such gorgeous jewelry, what are your hobbies?
When not cutting stones or exploring new ways to showcase them in my jewelry, I spend time with my husband Jim and our son Alex. We live in Florida and Alex is in Nashville but we visit frequently and text a lot! I’m also the happy owner of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy named Lucky. Lucky follows me all around the house and provides lots of fun and puppy love. Another long time passion of mine is reading. I can often be found at the library or bookstore. Books are shelved, stacked and piled all over the house. Luckily my husband is a reader too! I have to have at least 2 books on reserve while I’m reading another. My usual reading list includes modern literary fiction, history, biography & the classics.


What do you like best about The Artisan Group?
It’s an honor to be part of The Artisan Group. TAG put me right in the middle of an inspiring and collaborative group of artists and professionals. I’ve found a level of support and motivation here that is remarkable and has changed the way I look at my work and my business. The extraordinary ability our leader, Valerie Guerrero, has in providing opportunities for us to showcase our products to celebrities and media is the foundation of TAG and can be found nowhere else. In just a year Angie’s Jewelry Design has been involved in (GBK’s) MTV Movie Awards, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes and the Oscars. On top of that I’ve gifted Amy Poeler, Tyra Banks, Jordin Sparks and the costume stylist for HBO’s True Blood.TAG’s Facebook page is always open on my laptop. The group shares so much support, knowledge and motivation that I don’t want to miss any of it!

Angie recently participated as a display participant in a luxury celebrity gift lounge on September 21-22, 2012 at The W Hotel in Hollywood  California, in honor of the The 2012 Primetime Emmys Nominees and Presenters.

Comments

  4. Heidi Kingman Jewelry / MyBeadTherapy says

    I truly enjoyed reading this! Thank-you for the added info on the history behind “Owyhee” jasper. I never would have guessed that a snake river stone was named for Hawaiian explorers! Your work is beautiful and I love how it showcases the gorgeous stones. 🙂

  8. Rachel says

    I’m so impressed; I didn’t know you cut your own stones! (jealous!) And being a fellow rockhound, you know I love your jewelry. You do such a beautiful job and I love your story of inspiration!

Back to Top