About the Artist
Shirley was born in Saskatchewan, Canada. She relocated to California in 1964 and became a USA citizen in 1978. Her artistic life path has taken many turns. She found her heart’s story when she discovered precious metal work. She studied metal fabrication in California at the Irvine Fine Arts Center. The Revere Goldsmith School in San Francisco allowed her to hone her art. She continues to take classes of interest in and around her studio. She is drawn to the quiet balance of the Asian culture, inspired by beautiful colored stones and the love of pushing the boundaries with silver. She creates her pieces “to reflect a woman’s innate individuality, beauty and mystery.” Her collections are unique, bold & provocative and she has won numerous awards for my art. Her museum quality, hand-crafted, collars, pendants and earrings are her signature style.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
A cool elegance and soothing balance draws the viewer into her fine silver, handcrafted jewelry. Her Asian-inspired pieces announce the beautiful symmetry of line and color. All of her designs express the visual and emotional relationship between artist and metal, thereby establishing the best possible marriage of the two. The resulting pieces radiate a smooth flow of color and energy. Her work has a quiet, understated sophistication with bold innovative designs that command attention when viewed, dramatic when worn. Her newest “Jewelry with An Edge,” sterling silver and Fashion Forward Midnight are unique, bold, provocative and daring! Each handcrafted piece sets the trend, rather than following it. Her collections are minimalist with an edge, easy to wear, unforgettable when worn! All have a single pearl which is her trademark.
HANDMADE COMPONENTS
Shirley Price is a one woman show. She fabricate backs, bezels, links and spacers from fine silver flat stock by cutting and soldering, then stamping my initial “S” on the back. The fine silver is 99.9% pure, meaning less tarnish and no fire scale.
The twigs on her pieces and basic collars are fabricated from sterling silver wire as it is stronger than fine silver. Prior to setting stones, finishing up links, etc., the fabricated pieces are polished in my tumbler which contains mixed shot and cleaning solution. Her cabochons, (stones), are chosen for depth and color, (many are hand polished), and random cut. After hand pushing the bezel edges around the stone, and/or final inspection on the all silver pieces, they are given a final polish with rouge on my buffer, then cleaned in my ultrasonic tank and dried by using a hot steam spray from my steamer.
Shirley’s trademark single pearl is then set if the design calls for it. All have a signature single “S” stamped on the back along with 99.9FS The designs are all Shirley’s with some of the inspiration coming from window coverings of bamboo sticks in a Japanese Tea Shop. The world of imagination is boundless. Her pendants come mounted on a plain, white card. Inside: an anti-tarnish bag, if there are stones, description of them, (where they are mined, etc.), care instructions, and the story of the current collection.