Metalsmith and Jewelry Designer
Portland Oregon artist Catherine Chandler makes the loveliest organic jewelry from copper, sterling silver, titanium and semi precious stones. She studied many different types of artistry before she found her true medium - metal. Catherine is inspired by plant life, and has created a series of rings that pay homage to a variety of endangered plants in a place where she studied her craft, Australia. Each piece's vivid color represents the plant it is named after.


Copper Leaf Earrings
Inspired by Autumn, these copper leaf earrings have been heat-treated in order to produce their vibrant color. Due to the handmade process of heat coloring these earrings, there may be some variation in colors.
Sterling hooks.
$64


Flower Earrings
The design and form of these earrings was a happy accident. They look lovely on, and can be an elegant accent, or worn casually. Sterling silver, handmade.
$64


Mongumber Bell Ring
Part of a series of Titanium rings, anodized to match the colors of various endangered Australian plants. The plant this ring's color is associated with is the Mongumber Bell shrub, which has bell-like flowers that are green or pink. Each ring is accompanied by an information card and photograph of the associated endangered plant. Cuttings taken which have successfully been propagated at Kings Park and Botanic Gardens.
$110

Artist Statement

I am a jeweler and metalsmith living in Portland, Oregon. I have loved art since I was a child, and have dabbled in everything from drawing, painting, sewing, and photography. It was not until college that I realized that working with METAL is what completes me. I grew up in Portland and Hood River, Oregon.

I originally began my degree with a major in Photography, but quickly changed my mind (and major) after my first metals class. After high school, I traveled to Australia, where I lived for four years, and studied at the South Australian School of Art in Adelaide.

After returning to the Northwest, I completed my degree at the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts, and graduated in May 2006 with a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Specialization in Jewelry and Metalsmithing).

My work has a minimalist, organic quality to it, and yet my influences stem from a variety of sources, such as unusual plant life, endangered species, the death of a family member, memories, and personal experiences.