Deborah Armstrong

Artist Statement

I create textured sterling with gemstones and 18K gold accents. After viewing Portrait Of Adele Bloch Bauer at the Nueue Museum in NYC, I was struck by the way he created patchwork patterns in gold and mixed them with the fabric of her dress. All these contrasting geometric patterns emerge as a fluid design, framing the “jewel” Adele Bloch Bauer. I thought what an inspiration to surround my jewels with these geometric shapes to feature and frame select stones while keeping the necklace a fluid entity to flow around the neck. The bezels are created in sections to hold the shape yet let it articulate. Select stones are surrounded with etched patterns in 18k gold sheet and soldered to the sterling. I applied that technique to other pieces in all sterling, open wire work and partial cascades. My Lucian bracelet was inspired by the tiles in southern Spain. After photographing countless tiles, I did cutouts for the back, built the sides and finished the tops with a combination of fabrication and wire work. These “tiles” were then cast and later finished with 18k gold designs cut out of a sheet of gold and soldered to the top. Other inspirations are petite fours, Moorish motifs, celtic eternity knots and Baroque rosettes. Most pieces are one-of-a-kind due to the unique stone selection, metal pattern and color combinations. Production techniques include repousse, etching, piercing and fabrication. Most pieces use a combination of these various techniques.