Sarah Amos
PIONEER SILVERSMITH
by Amy Stockwell Mercer
British born goldsmith Sarah Amos pulls a piece of turquoise the size of a tennis ball from the windowsill in her studio and plunks it down on the table to demonstrate her process.
In approximately ten meticulous steps, this stunning piece of stone has the potential to be transformed into one of Amos’s signature acorn necklaces.
She explains that the acorn is an ancient symbol that has been featured in jewelry since the Byzantine times. Tiny granules of 22 karat gold are handcrafted to form the top of the acorn and a stone, ranging from turquoise, peridot, opal, and sapphire, among others, makes up the base. Each acorn is unique and hangs from a hammered chain of gorgeous gold.
Amos began her studies in Britain and learned silversmithing, but when she moved to the United States in the 70s she discovered that no one was interested in chalices. So she enrolled in the Jewelry Arts Institute in New York, and studied techniques used by the ancients. “No one was doing this at the time. There has been a bit of a renaissance since then, but in the 70s we were the pioneers of this method.” Amos taught at the school for seven years and perfected the technique through teaching others.
Today she works from her home studio in West Ashley overlooking Elliott Cut. Her desk is covered with a variety of small hand tools that she uses to create her one-of-a-kind creations that are featured at Helena Fox Fine Art on Church Street. Amos scours Instagram and Etsy and follows other jewelers to see what stones and styles they are creating. “Opal is hot right now. I go opal crazy on Instagram,” she laughs. After so many years in the business, Amos has stone dealers that know what she likes and will search the market to find the right stones.Working by hand without molds or castings, she alloys (melts) 22k gold to create earrings, rings, necklaces, and bracelets. It is a tedious but necessary process that results in the unique, timeless pieces she is known for.
“Jewelry represents many things: love, wealth, sparkle, anniversaries, amuletic (crosses), inherited or sentimental artifacts, talismanic protection. It is wearable art.”
by Amy Stockwell Mercer
From ART MAG 2016 Summer Issue
Sarah Amos
available at
Helena Fox Fine Art
106-A Church Street, Charleston
843.723.0073
helenafoxfineart.com
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