Julie Glassman Enamel Jewelry

As a girl there were few things I loved more than running my fingers through vintage necklaces passed down from my loving grandmothers. Things that shimmered and sparkled always caught my eye. As I grew, I began disassembling them and making my own creations.

When I was fourteen, I took my first metalsmithing class, and with one ignition of a blowtorch I had found my path in life. I was fortunate to attend one out of only ten public high schools in the country with an advanced art program. After high school, I attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan and graduated with a degree in jewelry and gems.

After college, I mastered the technique of cloisonné enamel and developed my signature line: miniature paintings of layered enamel framed in embellished settings of precious metal and gems. I kiln fire my more detailed pieces as many as thirty-five times. One of my earliest creations was an eye pendant. Twenty-five years later, my cloisonné enamel eyes remain one of my most popular designs, recognized internationally and featured in British Vogue magazine.

More recently, I began a line of vintage glass jewelry that keeps me busy researching and acquiring rare morsels from the past and transforming them into timeless treasures.

All of my work is inspired by my mother and her battle with cancer. Like those necklaces passed down through the generations, her memory is my muse.