San Francisco, California is a great place to find all types of art and culture and that especially applies to the art of jewelry making.
Being a Jewelry Designer myself, I use these Galleries as a great resource to find out about new artists and techniques.
I want to introduce you to 3 of my favorites:
1. Velvet da Vinci Gallery 2015 Polk Street, SF CA 94109 415-441-0109 –http://www.velvetdavinci.com/
Velvet da Vinci has a constant rotation of about 25 artists that they are extremely loyal to, so it can be hard if you’re a new designer, since they those artists get top priority in shows and exhibitions, but it is a great place to see budding designers and beautifully unique pieces. They have about 10-12 exhibitions a years, which all have themes and artist spotlights.
Here are some of the current designers work:
Seth Papac-“Gemma” Ford and Forlano “Flat Satelite Necklace”
2. Gallery of Jewels 3 Locations in SF:
4089 24th Street SF CA 415-285-0626
2115 Fillmore Street SF CA 415-771-5099
2101 Union Street SF CA 415-929-0259
http://www.galleryofjewels.com/index.htm
Gallery of Jewels is a great source for up and coming bay area jewelry designers and it’s a great place to see the lines blurred between fine jewelry and metal working. I have worked with Gallery of Jewels, installing window displays for them and they are very courteous to students looking to study jewelry and the owners offer their time and insight.
The first store- 4089 24th Street
Gina Pankowski-“Berries Earrings” Lisa Crowder-“Fist Full of Rings”
3. Pearl Gallery 839 Irving Street SF CA 94122 415-742-0049–http://www.pearlonirving.com/
Pearl Gallery is not just a showcase of jewelry, they also have a great collection of photographers as well, which is a great inspiration for jewelry making, so be sure to check that out if you plan to visit. They are currently representing 32 artists that are from the bay area and beyond and among those 4 photographers which showcase their prints alongside the jewelry. The jewelry artists here are a bit less intimidating than the other galleries because the jewelry tends to be more simple and more targeted to actual wear-ability rather than art.
Owen Mcinerney- “Ocean Crusted Ring” Gretchen Walker “Cuff”
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