Inspirational, talisman and custom hand-etched word jewelry for every day of your life!
I create jewelry with elements that bring me joy and a sense of peacefulness : special words and quotes that I've collected over the years, favorite talismans, beautiful stones, beach glass, pearls, and mixed metals. Each piece is handmade with care using at least one of a variety of techniques including acid-etching, casting, forging, riveting, stamping, and wire-wrapping.
I live and work in the north woods with my husband, our daughter, three Golden Retrievers, and various other creatures. My work is sold in fine galleries and shops throughout the country and is regularly featured in national catalogs.
My hope is that my jewelry will remind the wearer of special places, memories, and people...a symbol of life's most precious moments. If I can brighten a day with a piece of my jewelry, I've reached my goal!
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If you're ever visiting beautiful Northern Michigan (or if you're lucky enough to live here!), come visit us at our gallery in downtown Harbor Springs! HANNI Gallery is located at 120 East Main Street, right in the heart of downtown. Call 231.526.2456 or check out our gallery web site at www.hannigallery.com...open all year!
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MORE about acid-etching...
Acid etching is a long process, but I've gotten the process down to a science over the years. To start, the piece of metal I'm working on is covered in a resist. After the resist dries, I lay out the words or the design and then "write" into the resist using a scribe. The scribe clears away the resist where I write, so the silver shows through (remember making crayon scratchings when you were little?). When the design is finished, the piece is immersed in an acid bath for many hours until the acid has eaten away at the exposed silver enough to make a nice, deep impression. The resist is then removed and the piece is sanded, formed (if needed) and finished. It is fun, fun, fun and allows for infinite design possibilities!!!
