Amy Whitten is a local jeweler with a deep love for the outdoors and an affinity for gemstones with personality. She practices hand fabrication with mixed metals in her home studio in north Evergreen, where she generously welcomed me to see her pieces in-progress. While sitting in her studio, sipping rosé and sifting through display cases of cabochuns, I was struck by how clearly Amy’s jewelry is a reflection of herself. This, I realize, is no accident: from idea to finishing etches, Amy builds every piece with precision, intention, and honesty from the heart.
Amy first started designing with her father. He often had scraps of leather from his own projects, and he taught her how to mold and etch decorations onto them. Her love of jewelry comes from her mother, and before metalworking, Amy was a beader. However, her true calling is rings… so the evolution was natural.
“The first ring I made with my husband’s torch. I squished the metal between two rocks, because I didn’t have any tools,” she recalls, laughing. “I almost burned the whole house down.” Since then, she’s gradually developed her studio, equipment, and technique. With every success, she reinvests back into the craft. Amy uses traditional hand fabrication techniques, meaning every tool is hand-powered. For example, she uses a torch to soften and manipulate metal rather than a laser welder.
“I always have an intention for how I hope a piece makes someone feel.”
Each piece is built, soldered, hammered, and finished by hand. It’s tedious and often painstaking, and there’s more risk of things going awry. “If I torch the metal for one second too long, it becomes a useless puddle,” she says. Finishing takes the longest. She spends hours filing, polishing, and trimming every edge into smooth, soft bends. But there’s a certain methodical meditation that comes with doing everything by hand. Amy believes objects can carry meaning, and that meaning is created through attention and care. The time and energy required opens a space for this intention to shine through. A finished ring has been wrought and worn with careful devotion; it’s already full of life before it’s even sold.
The gemstones themselves carry memories and meaning long before they become jewelry. Weathered for billions of years in the natural world, the stones are shaped by time and raw elements before being carefully mined and processed by lapidary artists. Different stones are also imbibed with deep cultural meaning and power across the world, and Amy finds solace and gravity in this. “I always have an intention for how I hope a piece makes someone feel,” she says. She often uses the origin of the stone to help her find its meaning. Her hope for every piece is that it connects with “what you need to feel.” Certain gems carry hope, others comfort. Still more: “badass rockstar vibes.”
To this point, Amy finds her best success through in-person sales. She believes that the stone chooses the person. “I just hope my jewelry connects with people in an authentic way,” she notes. Usually, this happens through direct contact.
Near the beginning of our conversation, I asked Amy what stone she would be. She laughed and tilted her head, thinking hard. “I think I’d be citrine, or maybe quartz,” she said, smiling. “They’re so bright and cheerful.”
Amy’s specialty lies in gemstone-inlaid mixed metal rings, and much of her collection is on display and for sale at the Evergreen Gallery. She is currently available for custom and commission work and shares her latest creations on Instagram @liframy.
