Local Artist

Ling-Yen Jones - Hand-fabricated Jewelry

I am a Mendocino County jeweler working mainly in silver, semi-precious stone and pearls. My style ranges from the traditional to the modern, and is completely unique. All of my pieces are individually handmade, and are therefore one-of-a-kind or in small series with repeating motifs.

My training is with David Laplantz at Humboldt State University, at Monterey Peninsula College, and various Mendocino Art Center workshops and assistantships.

I define jewelry as creations which are useful, artistic, symbolic, identifying, and an expression of personal ideas.

In my earring line some of the motifs I use are leaves, birds, and windows. When these elements and others are integrated into a piece they can represent new beginnings, changes, hope, and further growth in oneself.

The materials that I enjoy using most are sterling silver, copper, gold, and pearls, and semiprecious stones. My intentions for each one-of-a-kind piece are that it is clean looking, distinctive, and artistically rendered.

The pieces with the Asian-like faces are inspired by the feminine, graceful, and romantic scenes of the Ukiyo-E period of the Japanese art. The piece "Unmentionables" has different faces, all expressions of surprise, serenity, wonder and ecstasy. On the back of the pieces there are hidden hand cut flowers, roller printed leaf patterns, and scenes of paired lovers.

Ukiyo-E or images of the floating world were representations of the everyday life of Japan in the 16th through the 19th centuries. This piece brings together my own interest in the expressive power of faces, while exploring the serenity and grace of the everyday in my own time.

Contact Information: Ling-Yen Jones PO Box 352 Point Arena, CA 95468 Email: lingyen@juno.com Phone: 707-884-9153 Website: www.ling-yendesigns.com

© copyright 2010 - all rights to the images are retained by the artist