Featured Etsy Artist: soulyyours

I have always been a fan of hand-sculpted fine silver pieces. When I first saw Barbe Beaty's work on Etsy back in 2008, I immediately fell in love with it. Here is a photo of the piece I purchased; it's called Chuka, which is Swahili for "carry." (I just couldn't resist including this photo of my own piece.) Like her other work, these pendants illustrate the cross-cultural inspirations that influence all of her stunning silver designs.

"I am a self-taught precious metals artisan," Barbe says, "and owner of Njia Studios (Njia means "path" in Swahili). My works are inspired by my cross-cultural experiences, brought to life through self-expression and symbolism. Each organic piece is hand-etched, or hand-sculpted of fine silver creating wearable works of art."

One of my favorite pieces in her current listings is "Gaia: Mother Earth." Each element of the design is hand sculpted. The final piece is fired, and then oxidized to bring out the rich highlights of the fine silver.

Barbe's silver designs are both organic and symbolic. Each piece is handcrafted from precious metal clay. "In designing my pieces, I use eco-friendly metal clay (a "green" product), which is comprised of real fine silver particles, recycled from old film negatives, combined with organic binders and water. Once formed, the clay is fired, burning off the binders--creating 99.9% pure fine silver."

This piece, called "Kijani," means "growth." As in all of her designs, each element -- each leaf, the stem -- is carefully hand sculpted. Her style is rustic and each piece is lovingly burnished to give it a rich patina.

"Through my business, Njia Studios, I am Founder and Facilitator of a community based workshop, "Promise Project" (http://www.promiseproject.com), for girls and women from various populations. During these sessions, participants engage in the design, handsculpting, and hand-finishing of a fine silver token which symbolizes a personal pledge made to themselves reflective of where they‘ve been, where they are, and where they wish to be on their path through life. We are all artists in the sense that we each have a story unique to tell, and we each have the ability to "design" (shape and influence) our existence."

Barbe is a proud member of Etsy Metal Clay and a juried member of Trunkt. You can also find her in many other places on the internet. Here are just a few of the spaces she inhabits:

Jewelry website :: http://www.njiastudios.com/
Community workshops website :: http://www.promiseproject.com/
Tidbits of her life :: http://www.soulyyours.blogspot.com/
Follow her on Twitter :: njiastudios