Dynamic Jewelry Making Duo
Twin sisters use nature - literally - as the starting point for their line of accessories
By Anne Johnson
Published: April 12th, 2006 | 8:17pm
“A lot of people have no idea of what goes into making our jewelry, or casting in general,” explain Twigs and Heather, a.k.a. Kerry Alice and Heather Collins, silversmiths and female casters, “It is time consuming, labor intensive, dirty, dangerous, expensive, and we love it!” This talented duo - who also happen to be twin sisters and best friends - create handmade, one-of-a-kind jewelry that remind us of the beauty often overlooked in nature.
The Nahant, Massachusetts natives took a lot of their original inspiration from the Atlantic Ocean and the indigenous plant life of the north east. Sterling silver pieces cast from twigs, acorns, and maple seeds have become signature items from their catalogue, which also offers wonderfully detailed cuff bracelets and rings fashioned out of birch bark as well as beautiful pieces made of colorful sea glass collected on the beaches north of Boston by the twins themselves. Choose one of their glass pieces or have the two immortalize a piece of your own glass into one of their lovely pieces. “Our stuff really appeals to a certain person who isn’t afraid to express themselves. It’s not trendy. We hate trendy,” the twins make very clear. Kerry Alice’s quirky one-of-a-kind designs are all made from hand carved waxes are inspired by “the insanity of life” and are very much a reflection of this viewpoint.
Twigs and Heather, the studio, was born after Heather apprenticed for a “really great caster” in Boston where she learned the lost wax casting and burnout casting methods which the pair use to craft their pieces, though they have had to come up with some innovations of their own as the twigs are “unpredictable.” While she enjoyed working as a caster, Heather found that she wound up doing the casting work (“I mean all the work”) for so-called jewelry designers who sold the finished pieces as their own. Heather believed that she, too, had some unique ideas to offer the jewelry wearing public. So, after working two jobs, she saved enough money to open her own studio in 2000. Kerry Alice also wished to make jewelry and Heather generously taught her everything she had learned.
Though Kerry Alice waits tables a few nights a week and Heather is busy with motherhood (plus, she spends a great deal of time “on the PR tip”), Twigs and Heather has evolved into a full time job for the pair. The two split up time in the studio during the week and then cast on the weekends. “We truly love what we do and think that being female casters is really cool,” say Twigs and Heather. And so do we, Twigs and Heather, so do we love what you do.
Visit Twigs and Heather online at twigsandheather.com
Issue #36
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