Rachel WELD

itute. For over ten years I worked for architecture firms and had success with my own interior architecture studio. While my language of jewelry design was a germ of an idea I took time out to immerse myself in metal-smithing classes and got hands-on training while working for another jewelry brand. For me, jewelry is connection to my family – specifically, to my Aunt Nadine who would tell me about her mother and grandmother while showing me their Victorian and Deco jewelry. Also, my grandmother Albena, raised by a single mother, marked her later successes by special jewelry pieces. My heirlooms embody their stories. I deeply respect jewelry’s power to embody and reflect meaning.