www.judithjansenjewelry.com

Exhibitions, Galleries and Shows

 

2010 Signature Holiday Gallery

 

2011 Kalamazoo Art on the Mall

 

2011 Bay Harbor Fine Art Fair

Moving to Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1991 and studying jewelry fabrication at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts opened the door to a new career for Judith Jansen. She has been designing and fabricating jewelry as a second career for more than a decade and she has taught the KIA’s beginning and intermediate jewelry fabrication courses.

 

 

 

After a few years studying fabrication and design at the KIA, Judith created enough jewelry to begin promoting and selling her work. In 1993, friends and acquaintances who enjoyed wearing one-of-a-kind pieces began purchasing and wearing her jewelry. Judith’s business took off and grew from that humble beginning. As J3 Judith Jansen Jewelry, she began selling her jewelry from her home and at other locations, including a gift store/gallery in Saugatuck, Michigan, the Atlas Gallery in Chicago, a women’s clothing store in Kalamazoo’s Radisson Hotel and now at Nord’s jewelry in downtown Kalamazoo.

 

 

 

All of Judith’s design work and fabrication takes place in her home studio. Judith loves to learn more about technique and she stays up on the current jewelry and fashion trends. In 2002 she began studying in New York City to get more input on technique from Master Goldsmiths. The dynamic and energy of New York City amazed and inspired her, along with the opportunity to work one on one with highly educated and skilled designers, fabricators and Master Goldsmiths. Judith now studies in New York every summer, and she has developed wonderful business relationships with several suppliers of precious and semi-precious stones and pearls, as well as raw and finished metals.

 

 

 

In 2002 Judith also began participating in juried fine art fairs. Her show schedule has grown each year, and she now exhibits in several cities in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Judith has been a Kalamazoo Arts Council “Art Hop” exhibitor numerous times, a participant in the juried West Michigan Area Art Show numerous times, and she is a current member of the Signature Artists Group in southwest Michigan. Signature is a group of about 20 extremely talented and supportive artists who share ideas and information, as well as exhibit and sell their fine art every year during the month of December.

 

 

 

As a jewelry artist, Judith’s goal is to utilize collectible specimens of jaspers, agates, pearls and fine gem stones, and incorporate them into upscale one-of-a-kind jewelry, using either fine silver or gold. She travels several times a year to personally select the actual stones, gems and pearls that she will be incorporating into each piece of jewelry. For example, Judith works directly with the stone cutters, and with many of the mine personnel to acquire beautiful native North American turquoise. Fine silver and 22 karat gold are her metals of choice, because of the beautiful rich yellow color of 22 karat gold, the ease in fusing and granulation of both metals, and the influence of centuries old fabrication techniques.

 

 

 

This is what Judith has to say about her jewelry: “From Earth to Art is how I feel about my pieces. I locate and use the most beautiful and unusual stones that I can find, and I incorporate them into gorgeous fashion-forward one-of-a-kind jewelry.”