I sometimes forget how awesome Nashville can be. Today I had the opportunity to visit the jewelry studio of Patricia Marie Fine Jewelry right in my own backyard–no need to fly to LA or NYC! Her richly elegant designs are handcrafted in Nashville as well, making them homegrown, infused with southern hospitality. Patricia’s jewelry studio is like walking into a boutique in Paris–utterly chic, complete with a crystal chandelier and gold gilt mirrors. Many of the pieces that decorate the space are picked up on her numerous trips to flea markets around the world, also inspiring new jewelry designs. With a chicken coop in the backyard just outside of the jewelry studio, complete with several chickens, each appropriately named matching their personality, you can imagine what a typical day would be like for this California-born designer in the heart of Nashville.
Antiques and vintage motifs are important aspects of her work, like the hand earrings, made of 18k yellow gold, which have a hidden hook, providing an opportunity to dangle different charms from the grasping hand. This motif was often found in Victorian jewelry, with it symbolizing numerous messages depending on the position of the hand. I love Patricia’s use of Roman coins within her jewelry designs as well. Her ritual of acquiring the coins, gently cleaning each one, uncovering mysteries about their past, and finally, carefully matching up pairs and designing, is something truly special to her.
The incredible gemstones she uses in each design are also something to behold–I was suddenly drawn to the soft opaque pink shades of rose quartz, and the adularescence in the mystical moonstones. Sometimes a gemstone itself can spark an idea, and Patricia gets to work with her pencils and clear drawing paper, with her fluffy dog and cat sitting by her side. Learning first-hand how layering is truly an artform, I experienced an ultimate necklace stack, consisting of a heavy, hammered chain in 18k yellow gold, an 18k chain stationed with rose quartz and toggled end, affixed with a breathtaking gemstone medallion, and mixed in between was a doubled-up Leah chain in 18k gold. The look couldn’t have been better, just like my visit! Hope to see more from this local designer soon!
Details of some of the jewelry pictured:
18k yellow gold stationed rose quartz chain with toggle clasp
18k yellow gold medallion set with rose quartz, pink tourmaline, morganite, and diamonds
18k yellow gold heavy, hammered chain
18k yellow gold smaller hammered “Leah” chain
18k yellow gold “hand” earrings with hidden hook
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