Isabel Jewelry : Isabel Rucker
I am a metalsmith, lapidary, painter, and sculptor on the Mendocino coast of California. My husband and I have been exploring the beaches and redwood forests; we moved here from Wyoming in 2020 after living in the Rocky Mountains for seventeen years. We love nature and absorbing all aspects of it.
I have been metalsmithing for over 25 years and made thousands of pieces of jewelry. My metalwork includes a lot of hammered texturing (category “hammered jewelry“) because I love the mixture of glitter and hand-wrought look; I use various hammers and my anvil for this effect. I also carve wax models to make sculptural pieces that I have cast into metal. I love to experiment so you will sometimes see stand-alone collections appear on this website.
My jewelry is directly connected to the natural world and I also cut and polish regional stones to be closer connected to the lands that I love. (You will see these in the category: “handcut stones” ). I like thinking about the sources of materials and gathering them myself, like abalone shell or agate. I also source regional stones that other people have found, like the gorgeous multi-colored nephrite jade from California and Wyoming.
I don’t cut every stone I use, I also purchase beads and stones far beyond my region simply because they’re pretty and also to provide more choices on my website. But I still like to know a gem’s landscape of origin because that usually tells human, environmental, and geological histories so when I know a stone’s source you will see that on the information on the item listing.
I have been studying gemology for a few years and am approaching earning my Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America. With this I am able to understand gemstones and their origins and also identify them more expertly. This knowledge also helps me cut and polish the rough stones I gather or purchase.
From 2010-2016 I owned a retail store and art gallery in 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 like and appreciate. There I also exhibited over 30 contemporary Wyoming artists of all media. I closed that gallery to be able to focus more on making and designing jewelry.
I also paint and sculpt and have been working to relate all of my disciplines, my artist website: www.isabelrucker.com.
Custom Elk Ivory Jewelry: I can work with you to create a custom piece of jewelry using your elk ivory, to see some of my portfolio, visit the Custom Elk Ivory Jewelry page. Custom pieces can take up to 3 months.
About the recycled metals: Whenever possible I use recycled precious metals that I purchase from a mill that specializes in this. I can also melt down and reuse unwanted jewelry.
Custom Work and Repairs: I take in some custom jobs if it is within my skill and design style, you can contact me to ask. I will repair any jewelry that I have made, it is guaranteed for life. I do not repair jewelry that I have not made.
Social Networking: I am on Instagram (@isabeljewelry), Facebook (Isabel Jewelry), TikTok (@isabeljewelry), Pinterest (isabeljewelry). Please follow and share those sites!
My Artist Portfolio Website: www.isabelrucker.com
Pictured above, quartzite and jade sliced or in the rough form and then polished and made into jewelry.