Metalsmith and jewelry artist So Young Park creates complex textures by piercing a metal surface with hundreds of gold beaded pins. You can see this so clearly in the lovely cuff below. She also includes other beads and stones that add to the beauty of her unconventional pieces.
Square Sea: Cuff of oxidized silver and precious beads
Park's work is quietly theatrical - each piece tells a subtle story. In the elegant necklace, below, the chain reminds me of strands of seaweed while the round disc in the middle of the oval pendant looks like it could be a barnacle covered stone.
Oriental Hill: Necklace of oxidized silver, 24K gold leaf and white pearls
Park, who grew up near the ocean in South Korea, is drawn to nature. She says that "my jewelry expresses desire, hope, and the power of life through organic plant forms that are rendered in simple, geometric, and sophisticated ways."
Through her use of contrasting colors in the rounded shape, below, Park finds yet another way to convey a natural form - in this case, a flower.
Chrysanthemum Ring: Oxidized silver, 18k yellow gold, tourmaline
I really like how so many of Park's pieces seem like they come from a beach. And her use of soft tones helps to show the delicate qualities in her jewelry.
Observing Ocean: Pendant of oxidized silver, pearls and precious beads
Park moved to the United States in 2001 and earned her second M.F.A. in metal and jewelry design from the Rochester Institute of Technology. In 2006, she decided to start designing her own collection, and she's exhibited her work widely throughout the U.S. ever since.
There's so much more of this fascinating work to see at So Young Park Studio.
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