Jewelry and homewares by artist Leah James
JEWELRY
Elegant pendant necklaces with silk chords.
I started making necklaces at a time when I wanted to have something unique, beautiful, and comfortable to wear but couldn’t afford to purchase an item like this. The concept was to use simple materials so it was accessible to as many people as possible but to make something that felt unique and elevated. The silk chords have an inherent glow and soft, minimal feel, giving them that feeling of 1000 words in one.
Exploring the inherent beauty of clay and glazes by concentrating them onto focused forms, each piece is handmade and investigates various glaze combinations to create unique colours—no two pieces are alike.
My jewelry has been carried by an excellent group of stores: The Rising States, New York; Greenpoint Hill, Brooklyn; The Brooklyn Museum Shop; and Art Metropole, Toronto. It has been shown by Wil Aballe Art Projects at Edition Toronto. Since moving to Canada, I am working to build my stocklist again.
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Mending
Although the forms of these pendants have built-in strength, accidents happen. If your piece breaks, it can be mended to take on a new life. See my lookbook for examples of kintsugi mending. If gold is not to your taste, there are non-metallic options. Reach out via the contact form or direct message on Instagram for pricing. I'd also be happy to send a PDF on how to mend yourself if that sounds interesting. There's too much waste in this world.
HOMEWARES
I'm introducing a vase each month from May through November 2024. I made these pieces between 2015–2019 while living in New York. There are eight forms in the series, and they are based on anonymous 19th-century scientific drawings—notable because this was when women started to push the exsisting boundaries in science as contributors and also were finally recognized for their scientific drawings and illustrations.