How did you get started in the jewelry business?
I grew up outside of Chicago, and my public school offered jewelry making and lapidary in 7th and 8th grade. I fell in love immediately and knew that this would be my calling. Because my sister had taken and enjoyed the class before me, my mother had a set up a small studio in a corner of our dark dank basement. I spent many afternoons with a stone grinding machine, a handheld propane torch and an asbestos pad.
During my youthful years, I attended summer camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. My toolbox of pliers and copper wire came with me, of course. I spent many summer days in the craft room making wire jewelry, which the other campers loved. My business was born! I sold copper rings and bracelets to the other campers for five or ten cents. Days later I was called into the administrator's office and told that I was not allowed to sell jewelry and that I had to return everyone's money. Business smashed! But I persevered and taught the other girls how to make their own jewelry.
My freshman year in high school, I got a job at a jewelry supply store doing their casting. They taught me how to take wax forms and turn them into silver and gold using their centrifugal force machine. It involved melting the metal, releasing the wound-up arm, and ducking in case the molten metal splattered! Senior year I got an internship with a young jeweler in Chicago, which further honed my skills in metal forming, and finish work. After graduation, I spent my freshman year at Skidmore College, taking more jewelry classes, before transferring to Colgate University where they did not offer jewelry, but I brought my small studio with me. After graduation, I moved to New York City and officially started my career.
Who or what has been a big influence on your life and artistic journey?
Early in my career I focused on inlay, making mostly bracelets and earrings. My mother had bought an inlaid Navajo bracelet in Santa Fe, and she, my sister and I always argued over who got to wear it. I decided to teach myself how to inlay, so we could each have our own bracelets. I was inspired by Navajo jewelry and pottery, ancient mosaic tile floors, and quilts. Anything geometric. In the 1990s, I saw some wire wrapped jewelry by Dana Kellin and decided to try that. I studied ancient Egyptian and European Medieval and Renaissance jewelry involving cold connections (not soldered or welded) and my current style was born.
What was the first highlight or achievement that validated your artistry?
My very first sale was to Henri Bendel. It was a very chic store in a narrow townhouse on W 57th Street, and once a month they had artisan open call for jewelers, clothing designers, and other artists. They bought several of my inlaid bracelets and ordered more later! I later found an "agent" in Chicago that got my jewelry into the Chicago area Saks 5th Avenue stores. After moving to Salt Lake City, I submitted my work to the Sundance Catalog and became one of their early and longest running Jewelry Artists.
What influences and inspires you when designing and creating jewelry?
The world around me inspires my work! I am motivated by color, especially the color wheel. I am drawn towards putting adjacent colors together, such as yellow, orange, and red, or purple, blue, and green. Tourmaline is one of my favorite stones, and the pink and green Cacti in Big Bend Nation Park inspires me like no other.
Is there a particular technique that you like to use when creating jewelry?
I love wire wrapping and bending wire and hammering it. I seem to be stuck in my childhood.
Where can your jewelry be found?
My jewelry is currently found on my website www.pollyhartjewelry.com on Instagram at @pollyhartjewelry and on Facebook at Polly Hart Jewelry.
What is the most rewarding part of designing jewelry?
People smile when I am done with my work. I love making people happy. I briefly worked in Historic Preservation, helping cities create historic districts (another story altogether). Since people do not like being told what they can or cannot do with their houses, I rarely made people smile. I was helping their town put restrictions on their homes. Today I make pretty things that make people smile. Much more fun!
What other interests do you enjoy when you are not creating and designing jewelry?
I hike, ski, climb (rocks), bike, and dote on our five-year-old Pit Bull Louie. I am a crazy dog lady, and before I left Salt Lake City, I was a member of the nonprofit Millcreek FIDOS, being a "poop fairy" in Memory Grove, Millcreek Canyon, and other dog parks. I now live in Victor, Idaho where I serve on the Teton County Historic Preservation Commission, and I volunteer at our local food pantry. I would be remiss if I did not mention that I played Women's Ice Hockey my senior year at Colgate, and my husband now calls himself a "hockey widower." I relentlessly watch my college team, now one of the best in the nation, and the PWHL (Professional Women's Hockey League) where many of our alumnae play. I should not over sell my past participation- I was the worst player on my team. We won zero games, and I played one shift in one game, and I spent more time in the penalty box than on the ice.
Thank you for being part of our journey in celebrating local artists. With more features ahead, we invite you to continue discovering the creativity and craftsmanship that define our community.
