Susan Hamilton Meier's work is centered in making the wearer of her jewelry feel special, beautiful, and empowered.
Susan is a native New Yorker and visual artist. Her signature shapes and textures have grown out of her practice as a painter exploring geometry and mark-making. Additionally taking inspiration from the sun and water, Susan creates heirloom treasures in high karat gold and gemstones.
We met up with Susan to learn more about her and her jewelry making process.
Q: What is your design inspiration?
A: "I studied art history and have been a working artist my whole life, so I am always pulling in the themes and aesthetics that speak to me from that world. High karat gold and over-the-top adornment from the ancient Egyptians, balanced geometrical shapes and patterns from the mid-century minimalists, gestural brushwork and emotion from the abstract expressionists. And then there is the feeling I’m after, the feeling I want the wearer to experience, elegance, power and a bit of magic. If my collection had a superhero patron saint, it would be Wonder Woman."
Q: What is your favorite part of the jewelry making process?
A: " As an artist, I love the dreaming and sketching part. I will always imagine 100 times more pieces of jewelry than I will ever make. But my very favorite part is seeing an idea come to life. When the finished piece finally comes into being, it is a true joy."
Q: When did you start making jewelry?
A: " I don’t remember a time when I didn’t make jewelry. As a little girl I was always stringing beads and sculpting clay. I still have many of the objects I made and some of them I even still wear! I started working with precious metals and gemstones when I moved to New York in the late nineties and haven’t stopped since."
Q: What is your favorite piece of jewelry or collection you have created thus far?
A: " I love the Sunshine Flat rings because they feel like a departure from the expected. I always like things that are different. I like a little wow. My sketches didn’t get a great response - would they be comfortable? are they too big to wear every day? - but I made them anyway. When people started stopping me on the street to ask about the rings I was wearing, I knew I was onto something. The Sun Goddess Supreme has gotten a lot of attention from the jewelry community. Creating this collection has been a real lesson in following your vision. And they’re very comfortable, by the way."
Fun facts about Susan:
-“I’m in love with Mexico and get a lot of my inspiration from the succulent foliage, architecture and craft tradition there."
- "I’m obsessed with ice, and I study polar ice formations to inspire my creative work. I’ve made pilgrimages to a few glaciers and can’t wait to see more."
- "I am also a painter."
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