Posted on
April 01, 2016
by
Gina Pankowski
| 0 Comments
What fuels my designer energy and passion? My curiosity, fascination with movement and a bit of geekiness.
Pictured left to right, Metropolis Chevron Ring in sterling silver and white opalised wood from Australia,
Slip Fault ring in blackened sterling silver, Slip Fault ring with blue Hawks Eye gem, another Slip Fault ring in blackened silver,
Metropolis Bolt ring in blackened sterling silver with blue Hawks Eye gem and Slip Fault ring in sterling silver.
I've always been curious, willing to pause and look closer, maybe dissect and certainly ready to turn over the next rock.
My aesthetic obsession with movement blossomed in college. I liked to hang out with my buddy (now husband) in the wind tunnel. He was testing the aerodynamics of a new design. The streams of smoke flowing over the model were so beautiful, the slipstream. For his birthday I gave him a copy of The Album of Fluid Motion by Milton Van Dyke,
still on my studio book shelf.
When I am interested in a subject or idea I embrace it from all angles. That's were my geekiness comes to play. I've always preferred non-fiction, amassing a library of books on the subjects I love. Now I
"Pin" like a maniac too, collecting inspiration, information.
My first love will always be making, transforming my ideas into a physical thing of interest and beauty with a surprise, movement, to draw you in, spark your imagination and make you want to play.
Swell Bracelet, designed and created by Gina Pankowski. As you role the graduated links over your hand and onto your wrist the gold line flows through the bracelet. A version of this bracelet is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Museum of American Art.
Posted in
Bracelet,
Gina Pankowski jewelry,
Gold Jewelry,
Hand Made,
Silver Jewelry
Posted on
March 01, 2016
by
Gina Pankowski
| 0 Comments
I am presenting a new collection this Friday!
March 4th from 6-9pm at Fremont Jewelry Design
3510 Fremont Place North, Seattle
New Pendants and Rings combining my geometric and minimal aesthetic with a beautiful array of ethically sourced gems that include my current obsession with Moonstone, Agate and Opals.
This pendant I call "Moon Over Maury Mountain" the source of the beautiful gray, blue, and white translucent agate with Owyhee Blue Opal, both from Central Oregon.
The translucent agate here captures a stunning world! You may see snow on a misty mountain morning or cresting waves of the ocean on a moonlit night.
These new pieces are entirely hand made by me in my Seattle studio from recycled precious metals. I have been taking pleasure in collecting gems and minerals and interpreting my surroundings all my life. This new collection is a celebration of the beauty and phenomenal stuff our world is made of!
Posted in
Gems,
Gina Pankowski jewelry,
Gold Jewelry,
Hand Made,
Necklace,
rings
Posted on
January 28, 2016
by
Gina Pankowski
| 0 Comments
The light and colors of Seattle are primarily dim and soggy grey in January. What I love about this time is that it gives me a chance to relax post-holiday and hunker down to plan my creative output for the year.
I’ve been studying, sketching and collecting. Diving into stacks of books on gems and gemology. Learning about everything from the lore of healing properties of many gems to details of identifying the different gem mineral groups and their physical qualities like hardness and what makes them unique is so much fun. Particularly fascinating to me are crystal irregularities like the silk inclusions in sapphires that create a star effect. You can see an example in the rare yellow star sapphire at the bottom of the necklace in progress photo.
Color and patterns found in agates of all kinds are flooding my imagination. As you can tell in my designs I am obsessed with line and pattern! The addition of plains of color in the kinetic rings and sculptural chain designs in my collection is on the drawing board and in process.
My studio is busy with experimentation at the lapidary, slicing thin windows of agate. My outlook is bright for 2016!
Thank you for reading! Leave me a note and tell me what you like about seeing my process!
Posted in
Gems,
Hand Made,
Silver Jewelry
Posted on
November 29, 2015
by
Gina Pankowski
| 0 Comments
My dreams are made of this. Rare and unusual gems of the earth. One of a kind celestial compositions. The simple and the very complex. All handmade in my Seattle studio from recycled fine metals. Celebrating the value of beauty and our precious resources.
Thank you for helping my dreams come true in 2015!
Posted on
October 28, 2015
by
Gina Pankowski
| 0 Comments
A long appreciated gem, turquoise was mined for jewelry as early as the 1st Dynasty in Egypt. Only found in arid climates turquoise is formed from water seeping into cracks and gaps in sand and stone. The beautiful sky blue colors come from the copper minerals carried by the water. Naturally turquoise is cherished as a symbol of water and sky.
I love turquoise hues, they are uplifting and compliment so many gems like these Amethyst, Peridot, Garnet and Moonstone set in gold.
To learn more about the history of Turquoise and its uses visit the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture and their current exhibition
“Turquoise, Water, Sky: The Stone and Its Meaning” through May 2, 2016, Santa Fe, NM
The online version of the exhibition is excellent too!
Posted on
October 02, 2015
by
Gina Pankowski
| 0 Comments
Are you in the Seattle area next week? Don't miss this opportunity to learn from an expert.
In this studio snap shot below are a few examples of out of the ordinary gems from my collection. I learned more about them in Renee Newman's books.
Left to right, Fire Agate, Oregon Sunstone, Labradorite, Larimar, Prehnite, Chrysocolla, and Lavendar Chalcedony.
Orbit Ring center gem is Ellensburg Blue Chalcedony, left is green cats eye tourmaline, right are two color change cats eye chrysoberyl.
Quatrefoil Ring with translucent Prehnite set in sterling silver.
Orbit Ring with Oregon Sunstone bicolor teal and pink marquise center stone, south sear pearl.
Posted on
September 24, 2015
by
Gina Pankowski
| 0 Comments
With the chill of fall in the air and collars turning up you might like to add some new just beyond the norm stud earrings by Gina Pankowski. The usual pearl or diamond stud is a little ho-hum these days.
Instead try this pair in blackened sterling silver with a reflective sphere of hematite, 15mm x 15mm, $160.00
Keep your thoughts of the warm sun and turquoise skies close to mind with the the Slip Stream stud design in 18k gold and Persian turquoise, 16m x 12mm, $1400.00.
Ready for snow? This pair set with shimmering cat's eye quartz and sterling silver is fit for an ice goddess,15mm x 15mm, $190.00.
