Meet Ruthie Cohen
RUTHIE COHEN’S timeless jewelry designs in gold and silver are fabricated, constructed, or cast via the lost wax vacuum cast process. The jewelry designs are fabricated from sheet, wire, and tubing and then soldered together. Other more organic designs, are first carved in wax and then casted in sterling silver or 14 and 18 karat gold. Ruthie loves being challenged by working with irregular shapes for bezel setting and has developed techniques to set drusy without breaking crystals. Very often, gold and silver are combined to create a unique multi-dimensional look

 “I have always had a life-long fascination with color and patterns in light. I remember as a child spending hours studying clouds, the flecks and veins of mica in granite, and water flow patterns in streams. My jewelry designs and stone colors are chosen with the idea in mind that light in its various levels of color and depth is released from the hidden shadows and dances through defiantly.”

“Artists’ designs evolve in different ways.  Some craftspeople look at images for ideas; others will sketch out designs before they start creating. I like to sit by my pond and be entertained by the antics of the frogs, fish, dragonflies, and even the birds flying in for a drink of water. Most importantly, living in the mountains of western North Carolina has given me the opportunity to periodically get lost in the ripples and folds of the topography of the region. Cruising by car along the Blue Ridge Parkway or following the twists and turns of the “road less traveled by” always gives me an unexpected thrill of discovery as I take long walks along rivers and streams and just absorb different vignettes- tumbling waterfalls, unusual rock formations that glisten in fog or pop when sunlight comes out, seeing images in clouds, admiring the bark on gnarled and twisted tree trunks, looking at knot holes, and observing vine growth on trees and bushes.  After these little trips, I very often just sit at my bench daydreaming into space. Certain images seem to resonate in my head and then show up magically in the jewelry that I create.”

RUTHIE COHEN is proudly represented by WICKWIRE fine art/folk art in Hendersonville, North Carolina.