After moving to America atthe age of 12 from Armenia, art became a refuge. Art class was where Iexcelled, where I did not need to speak English to belong. At home, my love ofart and craft extended to polymer clay. My debut as a jewelry artist was at age14, when I gathered my collection of polymer clay jewelry and participated inAlexandria’s Armenian festival. I realized then that I loved not only theprocess of creating jewelry but the connections I made with each person whochose to purchase one of my creations.
Over the years of exploringjewelry techniques, I sometimes felt torn between minimalist, modern styles andornate, statement pieces, much like I felt torn between my American andArmenian cultures, and much like my desire to simultaneously fit in and standout. Once I discovered enameling, I fell in love with the idea of reversiblejewelry because it allowed me to express and share these dueling emotions withthe world – I often strive to contrast the colors of each side in some way.After all, we all have more than one side – why not wear the colors that fit?
I am based in Alexandria, VA and am originally from Yerevan, Armenia. Whereas I dream of one day having my own studio, the perks of having a basement studio are that I can usually manage to sneak a little creativity time here and there without having to plan for travel and childcare. My child is always eager to "help" me with my creations, which sometimes means waiting until he is asleep before being able to take care of more elaborate projects that require soldering or details.
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