If they are fortunate enough to end up into the hands of Truckee metalsmith Jessica Hall, they will be worked with love and devotion as she resurrects them into a stunning piece of hand-crafted jewelry.
Meet Jessica at Truckee Thursdays June 16, 2011.
“It’s not only important for me to use recycled and re-claimed materials in my jewelry,” says Jessica, “but it challenges me to take something that was previous discarded or already existing and turn in into a piece of wearable art.” Jessica recently opened her studio, Bluebird Designs, at 10059 Palisades Dr #3 in Truckee with regular store hours for eco-friendly quick gifts, custom jewelry consultations, and jewelry repair.
You can see her intricate pieces and cute birdie designs at her booth at Truckee Thursdays on 6/16, 6/23, 6/30, and 7/7. Or visit her during ARTour to see some of her custom pieces and get a glimpse of her workstation July 8-10 and 15-17 from 10am-5pm.
About Jessica Hall
As a certified jewelry technician with a credentialed background in metal-smithing from Seattle, Honolulu, and San Francisco, Jessica uses the utmost precision in her pieces. Her desire to make things beautifully perfect and unique is fueled by her life long passion of jewelry making. “I started making jewelry sometime around age 5 which included collecting beads and usable objects even back then,” states Jessica. “At the age of twelve I went on a road trip from Florida to Alaska where I collected anything and everything I could to make jewelry with.”
In 2004 Jessica pursued her life long dream by attending a metal-smithing course at North Seattle Community College. The skills she gained there eventually lead to her creating a nationwide jewelry company. Unsatisfied with the monotony of re-producing these small wholesale pieces, she decided to further her skills as a jeweler. “I truly love my work and am passionate about what I do. I wanted to push myself and learn more so that I could create and fabricate anything I or a customer could imagine.”
Jessica attended classes at the Honolulu Academy of Art and then returned to California to complete the Jewelry Technician Program at Revere Academy in San Francisco. “I wanted to provide a full service jewelry option for community members,” says Jessica. “The training I received allows me to not only create small, artistic pieces, but also gave me the skills to competently create, repair, set, and clean and polish very fine, custom jewelry.”
Located in Truckee just a 1/4 mile from historic downtown, Bluebird Designs offers a wide variety of Jessica’s earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and rings. Jessica offers her pieces in a variety of recycled and precious metals and selects fair-trade gemstones.
Though she works in everything from diamonds and gold to copper and enamel, her favorite gem stone to work with is Tourmaline: “I love to work with Tourmaline because of the variety in colors and natural brilliance it exhibits. It’s generally a very affordable gemstone (with the exception of the rare and expensive gorgeous blue/green Paraiba strain), and I like to make things that anyone can afford and appreciate.”
Bluebird Designs offers something for everyone, including custom wedding rings to graduation gifts, to everyday earrings and her signature enameled bluebird necklace. This allows Jessica to work a little in each direction each day.
“I love the variety of my work right now. I can start the day on a diamond wedding band, and finish it with a whimsical enameled pendant that I just fired in my kiln.” Her wedding rings take her longer to create with a recommended 2 month timeline, while her small earrings and necklaces may take only a few hours to days.
Additionally, Jessica offers jewelry repair and cleaning through Bluebird Designs. Located next door to Blue Coyote at 10059 Palisades Dr #3 in Truckee, Jessica is offering a free jewelry cleaning per new visitor. Her studio hours are Wednesday through Sunday 11 to 6 or by appointment by calling 775-338-3880 or emailing her at jessica@bluebirddesigns.com.