Sharon Bailey

Sharon Bailey lives just north of Asheville, making jewelry primarily with Argentium sterling silver and vintage carved Bakelite.  She uses traditional metalsmithing techniques to create each piece, often casting the original shape, finishing each one by hand,  and finally oxidizing  to add depth.  Her range of work spans from carved Bakelite hearts, "chicklets", and "ball in a cage" to a nature series inspired by the plants on her property in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

After retiring from a career in business in Atlanta, Sharon went back to school to study art and fell in love with making jewelry.  It took twenty years, but she finally figured out why they called it Hotlanta, so she and her husband Brent decided to move to Asheville.  Here she continued to take classes in jewelry making at area craft schools and further honed her craft working in her studio.  She has been in Asheville for almost ten years and is now featured in many local galleries throughout the area. 

Carved Bakelite works beautifully with silver jewelry due to its vibrant color, making it a affordable alternative to expensive gemstones.  Its a lightweight, durable, and vibrant material that can be manipulated into many different shapes.  Its vibrant color is an affordable alternative to gemstones, making it particularly well suited to silver.  Its no longer in production, becoming more popular as a collectors item.  Collecting vintage Bakelite has become somewhat of a second hobby to Sharon, and she is always on the lookout for the next inspiring piece. 

Sharon has a variety of designs from contemporary to Art Deco.  Blending vintage carved Bakelite with fine, tarnish resistant Argentium sterling silver to create inspired, fun jewelry in Asheville.