Isabel Jewelry : Isabel Rucker
Artist, jeweler, gemologist.
Isabel Rucker’s jewelry is hand wrought and elegant. She carefully fabricates each piece of jewelry and carves many of the stones.
Her gold and silverwork is made with a variety of skills: fabricated, cold forged, tooled, hammered, torch soldered, pierced, and repousse. She custom builds stone settings and expertly sets each stone. In her lapidary (gem cutting) area, she carves rough stones into smooth cabochons and sculptural forms.
She is passionate about the natural world and this guides her design and materials. Patterns and movements seen in the wild are tooled into the metals. Hammering techniques capture and reflect sunshine glitter. Regional stones show her appreciation for her environment and local foraging.
Isabel has exhibited in galleries, created public sculptures, organized group art exhibits, owned a small gallery, and was a resident artist at the Jentel Foundation. She has a BA in Fine Arts from the University of Oregon, and is GIA Graduate Gemologist.
She has lived in many locations and returned to the California coast from the Rocky Mountains in 2020. She and her husband enthusiastically explore the coastal wilderness and deep redwood forests of the Mendocino coast.
About the Handcut Stones:
I love to cut and polish regional stones to be connected to the land that surrounds me. The source of materials tells a story. When it’s possible I gather stones myself, on the coast I find abalone shell, jasper, and agate. I also work with regional “rock hounds” who sell rough stones they have found; I carve those in my studio. I taught myself lapidary arts when I was living in the state of Wyoming and seeking the local jade, I could not find many pre-cut pieces so that’s when I began carving them myself.
Jade is one of my specialities. Carving jade is very challenging, each piece is different from the next. Jade has a “grain” like wood and that can effect how I choose to carve. It also forms at very high temperature and pressure and I’ve noticed some pieces have a certain life to them with various mineral inclusions and streaks of colors. Sometimes there will be softer and harder areas. Jade is a super tough stone, the toughest in the world. That’s different than the hardest (diamonds). Toughness gives the capability for strength and that comes from jade’s fibrous crystal structure. Because it is so tough I can slice it very thin to create translucent petal-like earrings and pendants.
I don’t cut every stone I use, I also buy gems and beads far beyond my region simply because they’re pretty and to provide more choices. I like to know a gem’s landscape of origin because that usually tells human, environmental, and geological history; when I know a stone’s source I list that information in the item description.
Custom Jewelry Work:
I have the great joy of creating jewelry for every life occasion. It truly is an honor to make wedding rings, personal mementos, and precious gifts for people. Working with my customers brings me hope and their input has positively influenced my skill set. I really strive to listen and reflect desires. I take in custom work on a limited basis and it can take a few months depending on scope and schedule. I work in silver and gold. I can carve a special stone or source a diamond or colored gem. I work within my style and skills and I won’t copy another person’s work.
Gemology Services and Estate Services:
I am a GIA Graduate Gemologist. The Gemological Institute of America is the premier school for the gemstone trade. I studied diamonds, colored gemstones, and pearls. I accomplished the intense gem identification class that requires a 100% correct final exam. My courses included laboratory classes where I examined hundreds of stones with a variety of gemological instruments. I graduated in 2025 and offer limited gemological services. I can source any stone for your jewelry. I also can help during estate sales to sort jewelry and silverware and help with refining and selling of metal.
Repairs:
I only repair jewelry that I have made, everything I make has a lifetime guarantee.
Find My Work In-Person:
Mendocino Jewelry Studio, 45104 Main St, Mendocino, Ca.
Northcoast Artists Gallery, 362 N. Main St, Fort Bragg, Ca.
Nested West, 231 W. Pine St, Pinedale, Wy.
Social Networks:
Instagram (@isabeljewelry), Facebook (Isabel Jewelry), TikTok (@isabeljewelry)
Artist Portfolio:
I also paint and sculpt, my artist website: www.isabelrucker.com.
Past Gallery Ownership:
From 2010-2016 I owned a retail store and art gallery in Pinedale, Wyoming (Isabel Jewelry & Gallery) where I was able to personally connect with my customers. Talking to customers on a daily basis helped guide my creative path to understand what people appreciate. I also exhibited over 30 contemporary Wyoming artists of all media. I closed the gallery to be able to focus more on making and designing jewelry and now I sell my jewelry online, in galleries, and retail locations.
Jasper and Jade before, during, and after cutting. I found the reddish jasper in the Wyoming desert and the jade pieces were found by rockhounds there:
