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Christie Calaycay delights in the experience of crafting her jewelry while meeting visitors in her studio at Pink Dog Creative.
Christie’s metalsmithing skills are honed by her training and experience, having apprenticed with renowned master jeweler Diannah Beauregard. Degrees in Cultural Anthropology and Art History, combined with work documenting folk artists and cultural traditions in Mississippi and Louisiana, bring great authenticity to her collections.
Often drawing on her Filipino heritage, she uses cultural artifacts and landscapes as inspiration and incorporates these ideas into many of her delicate designs. Earring, necklaces, bracelets and rings are steeped in nature but interpreted through her signature techniques. They are textural, minimalistic and defined by movement often adorned by a small pearl or precious stone.
Her designs pay careful attention to shape such as earrings based on pods or even Balangay boats, the oldest watercraft found in the Philippines. In a sense, her jewelry is meant to ground and connect the wearer to nature and the environment.
Years of self-teaching, experimentation, and workshops have enhanced Christie’s skills as a metalsmith, furthered her knowledge of crafting with silver and gold. Visit Christie at her studio at Pink Dog Creative in Asheville’s River Arts District and find her jewelry at The Jeweler’s Workbench and through her website. She is also available for custom commissions.
