Elizabeth McDevitt

I create one of a kind, hand made pieces, using precious metals, gemstones, enamel and ancient artifacts.

My fifty years in jewelry and metalsmithing have been a search for knowledge and beauty. From the beginning of my search, I sought masters from whom I could learn techniques passed on to them in an un-broken tradition for centuries. My journey has taken me to jewelers and goldsmiths in West Africa, Egypt, and India as well as contemporary masters from the United States, Europe and Japan. I have studied historical metalwork academically and technically and have worked in major museums. Once while working at the Cleveland Museum of Art, I placed an Ancient Greek snake bracelet on my arm and felt a physical connection with a woman from the 4th Century BC! An object from the past, no matter how distant, is a tangible connection to those who have once worn it. My hope is that objects which I make may survive as a living legacy, of myself as maker and as bearers of the history of those who have owned them.

I am particularly drawn to the hand forming techniques of chasing, repousse and engraving, often in combination with enameling. I find inspiration in the beauty of Nature: gemstones, flowers, leaves, shell forms, insects and birds, both abstract and realistic, often in minute detail. I strive for perfection, a spiritual goal which is always just beyond the reach of the human hand.