About Alchemy Inc

In 1978 I earned my BFA at Washington University in St. Louis, studying with the renowned metalsmith, Heikki Seppa. After spending four post college months working and nightclubbing in Berlin, I landed in NYC with a suitcase and $15. I immersed myself in the downtown art and music scene, doing artwork for DIY fanzines, hanging out at punk clubs, and playing bass in an all female band. Not having the funds to set myself up with a precious metals studio, I started experimenting with unconventional materials in jewelry application. I developed a collection of jewelry made of heat formed neon colored Lucite, origami folded semi-rigid vinyl, and collage pins featuring the kind of clip art I used in my fanzine work. I sold them under my own name to stores like Patricia Field and Fiorucci in NYC, and trendy boutiques in London, Amsterdam and Berlin. In 1980 I did my first wholesale trade show and began to expand my customer base. In 1984, I reorganized under the name ALCHEMY with the idea that these objects made of non-precious materials can be transformed in the hands of an artist into something to be treasured. ALCHEMY’s current collection is created with castings taken from industrial artifacts such as gears, antique keys, machine parts, as well as castings carved in wax then molded and cast in pewter. I also use found objects such as test tube stoppers, pen parts, rubber o-rings, vintage ephemera, along with hand formed polymer clay, wood, hardware, vintage stampings and chains.Read their story