Kelly Jean Conroy, "Sacred Herbs"

Materials: Laser Etched Mother of Pearl, Oxidized Sterling Silver, Abortifacient Herbs.

Dimensions: 7" in length; Each charm measures 1.25" x 0.75"

About the piece: 

"I see my jewelry as layered paintings- collages with dimensional elements that allude to a story. The stories are about loss, something that touches us all eventually, but also about the beauty of life. If I can make death and the subsequent feeling of loss something beautiful, I can soothe my fear of future loss. We all carry these experiences of life and loss within the inner layers of our being, and I see my necklaces as a way to wear these moments on one’s outer layer."

About the artist:

Kelly Jean Conroy was born in 1983, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.  Growing up in New England and being raised by an artist mother who emphasized making and painting, eventually led her to attaining her BFA from Syracuse University in art education and painting. She completed her MFA in Jewelry Metals from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2013. She is currently teaching metalsmithing at Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School and Metalwerx. She has previously taught Continuing Ed Jewelry courses at Massachusetts College of Art, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Peters Valley School of Craft, and the Worcester Center for Crafts. Her personal work focuses on life cycles in nature within a jewelry format. Her specialties are enameling, working with natural materials: carving bone, piercing mother of pearl, laser cutting, and casting.