The Hands Behind LLJ
I created and sold my first jewelry designs at nine years old from my mom's salon. After many twists and turns I have found myself back where it all began. I've had a life long love affair with beautiful things made to stand the test of time. There is quite literally nothing better than something of quality created from natural materials. Jewelry is a deeply sensory experience: pendants catching the light, the sound of rings clicking against one another, the feeling of cool metal against warm skin. Adorning one's self with jewelry not only celebrates personality and self expression, but it also puts you into constant communion with some of the most special elements our Earth has to offer. Jewelry is a celebration of ourselves and our planet. I am proud to be an artist championing slow-made, intentional workmanship to last you this lifetime and the next.
With love and gratitude,
Zoë
How It's Made
I create my jewelry designs for Lady Luck through a process called Lost Wax Casting. I fell in love with carefully carving and sculpting wax by hand and watching it transform from wax to solid precious metal. Lost Wax Casting is one of the oldest known metal-forming techniques, dating back approximately 6,000 to 6,500 years, so I find myself in good company. The wax carving is covered in a material called investment that hardens around it, making a cast. It's then heated and the wax burns away, leaving a hollow cavity that molten metal of your choosing is poured into. Once it's cooled the investment is washed away, leaving a metal replica of your wax carving behind.