Helen Ethel Jewelry

Helen Ethel Jewelry, named for my grandmother, is a small-batch jewelry atelier founded in 2010 that explores light, nature, history, and the stories we attach to objects. My work is rooted in traditional metalsmithing, but I am drawn to designs that feel otherworldly—pieces that could become modern heirlooms or personal talismans. I design and create each piece by hand in my Phoenixville, Pennsylvania studio, working primarily with recycled sterling silver, 14k gold, and gold-filled metals, along with ethically sourced gemstones. My process is tactile and begins with an image, object, or the materials themselves. I sketch, experiment, and allow the piece to evolve as I work. I love the physicality of metalsmithing—the small details and variations that reveal the maker’s hand. Light has been a recurring theme in my work since college. My background in art history, combined with my experience working as a historian and archivist for an architectural stained glass studio, made me particularly aware of how light can transform a material or a space. I am fascinated by the same quality in jewelry—the way a gemstone catches and holds light, how a textured surface changes as you move, or how a piece can look completely different throughout the day. I’m also inspired by celestial bodies, antique jewelry, architecture, symbolism, and mythology, as well as the idea of jewelry as a talisman. Ultimately, I want my pieces to feel like memory keepers—objects of personal devotion that hold secret meanings and become part of one’s story.