by Noella Noelophile ®
(Photograph courtesy of Angela Jazmin, and used with permission.)
Iridescent greens create a sealike pattern on cuff links. Metal swirls mimic the pattern of water on gold and silver rings. A soft-pink shell inlay nestles in a silver curved hoop earring.
And these are just three examples of the artistry of Jessica Linahan.
Jess, as she prefers to be called, is currently celebrating the ten-year anniversary of her San Francisco-based artisan jewelry business, Bobbi J. Her designs, she says, are inspired by the patterns and motions she sees in nature, as well as by her heritage. And she’s careful to work in harmony with the environment.
Specifically, no abalone are harmed in the creation of her abalone-shell inlay work. Instead, Jess and her family visit beaches up and down the California coast, collecting broken pieces of abalone shell. Often, those broken pieces lead her to new creative ideas during the handcutting process.
And if she finds a live abalone?
“We put them right back in the ocean,” Jess says.
Meanwhile, she’s creating beauty from the broken pieces she finds. Just two examples are her inlay wedding bands and metal charms.
But Jess doesn’t only work with abalone shells. Her “lookbook” includes pieces in bronze, sterling silver, and gold, along with pearl drops and birthstones.
Jess talked about discovering her creative path, and her goals for the future of Bobbi J. And, heads-up: she’s exhibiting in two upcoming crafts shows at Fort Mason: Renegade Craft San Francisco and West Coast Craft!