Nancy Linkin
“The essential quality of my work is harmony of form.”
Nancy Linkin’s passion for metalsmithing began over 35 years ago. She was captivated by the age old process of forming the metal directly with hammers. “The hammer is simply an extension of my hand…” Her exploration of the traditional smithing techniques, raising holloware and forging, started with traditional vessels forms. Soon she began to push the envelope both technically and visually, leaving the rotation form and functional form behind. Asymmetrical table top sculptures and wallpieces were a natural progression for her nature based aesthetic. “Natural forms have always fascinated and excited me: plant forms, earth forms, human forms.” Sculptural jewelry was the next step, taking the sculpture off the pedestal and putting it on the body. Nancy did a series of one of a kind sculptural bracelets over the course of two years in the mid-1980’s. The tremendous success of this direction encouraged her to repeat the designs, adding earrings, neckpieces, and pins to her line of bracelets. Over the last 20 years the line has grown with over 80 different designs, each made in a variety of sizes, available in both a Sterling & 18K combination and solid 18K gold. To create each piece, flat patterns are cut from sheets of gold and silver and hammered systematically over specialized tools. Once a piece has been hammered into its final form, it’s filed and sanded, then buffed to a high polish. This fine finish accentuates the simple sculptural lines of her jewelry.