Siri Hansdotter
I am a wax artist and goldsmith among other things.
I design and make sculptural adornments that incite a tactile and visceral experience and evoke symbolism and metaphor.
Jewelry as more than ornament but as ritual storytelling.
My path to jewelry was much like my jewelry itself - steadfast with a hint of sweetly unexpected.
I've always loved a treasure, an unusual find, an object that sparks curiosity and wonder. And I've always done things a bit differently, guided by some magnetic challenge, a rare opportunity, and risk taking.
My first love was ceramics, wheel throwing, working with my hands in clay, particularly wood firing in the hight desert of Arizona.
You'll notice that my jewelry has a certain influence of forgiving textures and shapes created in clay.
I started making jewelry when I moved to San Francisco in 2009. Humbly hammering brass and copper wire, I signed up for a basic metalworking class at Sharon Arts Studio in the Golden Gate Park and felt simultaneous awe and despair.
Working with metal - unforgiving, requires a still mind, patience, a ton of practice, good rest. I love a challenge so this was a good fit. I kept going. Adding a wax carving class at Silvera in Berkeley, stone setting skills, a lot of tinkering and curiosity and fierce determination - leading up to 2013 when my first collection was released in gold and silver.
The coveted SIGR water rings, some of the original pieces from this collection carry on.
A captivating spell of Gold + Silver - textural shapes and fluid forms.
I carve each design in wax using a variety of simple tools. The process of lost wax casting - an ancient technique using fire and centrifuge, transforms the wax models into precious metal jewelry. I finish my pieces with beloved textures, subtly scuffed and gently hammered floral, fern and fluid forms.
Mighty little heirlooms made with ethically sourced rare Earth minerals - ancient Stardust transformed over billions of years into vibrant gems and precious metals.
My work is sort of like rearranging earth's precious minerals into wearable sculpture. I feel great responsibility to create quality heirlooms that will last, and to do so with care for the planet and people.