Wear What When

SLIDESHOW Artist and Etsy shopkeep Dorothy Cheng in her workspace studio. Born in China, she moved to New Jersey at age 4, Indiana at 10, and then Seattle for college. Cheng says "I realized the moment I arrived that Seattle was my soulmate and have been here since — except for a year-long stint in Japan last year."

Initial pendants – “These are pierced out by hand in a font of my own design.” The metal design graduate says her work is inspired by history, medieval art, folk art, and literature. “[At first] I would spend up to two months making one piece—researching, designing, and finally fabricating the piece in metal. Although this was initially a constraint, it opened up possibilities for imagining smaller pieces that women my age, with my budget, could wear everyday. So last year, when I was in Japan and without any metalsmithing tools at my disposal, I started sketching out ideas for this line, distilling interesting historical and literary tidbits into jewelry for modern women.”

Agincourt ring – “Inspired by the 15th century battle of Agincourt, where barbed arrows were used heavily by the English to defeat the French. The English were outnumbered but still won,” says the history buff.

Arabesque necklaces– Inspired by architectural ornamentation in the medieval palace the Alhambra of Granada. When asked if she feels her work is a career or a hobby, Cheng says “I would say that this is a calling.”

Forbidden Fruit series necklaces– Inspired by a passage from Homer’s Odyssey describing the fruits of King Alcinous’ garden. Recent ups and downs in the economy might effect the appeal of work in the hobby-turned-career sector but Cheng says “I think many more people are interested in craft and the handmade now, believing that it is a valid way of making a living. And there are also many more artists and craftspeople making a living doing what they love. Knowing this has really encouraged me to take the leap.”

Romanesque earrings – Inspired by the rounded arches in Romanesque churches.

OOAK lover’s eye and cockerel and pearl – These are both one-of-a-kind pieces. The lover’s eye necklace was inspired by an 18th century trend of wearing a tiny painting of your beloved’s eye as jewelry. “A one-of-a-kind piece usually takes much longer. My lover’s eye necklace took about 40 hours. First, I used a jeweler’s saw to saw out the silver components from a flat sheet of silver. I then sanded all the edges and surfaces to make sure no file or saw marks were left. I soldered the silver components and sanded and finished it again to make sure no stray solder remained. I sewed the velvet pouch, inserted stuffing, and finally stitched and riveted silver components and freshwater pearls onto the velvet pouch.”

Thorn and Foil Earrings. Cheng enjoys creating in a state of organized chaos. “I listen to music constantly when I work – Metric and Janelle Monae are good for when I hammer things, Blonde Redhead and Fiona Apple for sanding and finishing (I do a lot of sanding), Loreena McKennitt and Patty Griffin for when I solder and design.”