About Lori Aks Jewelry
Story.
I’m Lori and I’ve been a practicing psychologist for nearly 40 years. When my daughters left for college over a decade ago, I tried a metalsmith arts class at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey. I wish I could say I suddenly discovered a hidden talent, but it was not easy to learn to use unfamiliar tools and I made a lot of mistakes. I stuck with it because I knew metalsmithing was an artistic outlet as absorbing as doing psychotherapy; a practice that gets better the longer you do it.
I dove into taking classes and workshops to learn the endless techniques of jewelry hand fabrication, wax carving and stone setting. I focused on making one of a kind pieces to learn more advanced skills by trial and error.
I did not set up a home studio until the pandemic lockdown in 2020 when making jewelry was the way I coped with the isolation and missing my daughters who lived across the country. In my own studio I felt free to develop as an artist and moved from unrelated one of kind pieces to conceptually linked collections.
In 2021 I established Lori Aks Jewelry LLC and as we emerged from the pandemic isolation I began exhibiting my work in craft fairs, shows and here on my website. My work is evolving into a satisfying art jewelry studio practice where I strive to bring together my identity as a psychologist and art jeweler through linking connected human and organic forms. I hope you will explore my website to see where I am going and follow me to see what comes next.
Artist Statement.
Lori Aks Jewelry is art jewelry with a psychological perspective. Lori’s artistic vision draws from her experience as a practicing psychologist and her passion for the metal arts.
The collection emphasizes curving forms hinting at human presence. Form, materials, texture and negative space are tactile prompts for exploration. You complete the story by bringing your experiences and memories as the jewelry accompanies you.
Lori Aks Jewelry encourages personal reflection through immersion in handmade details that evoke emotion and curiosity. Your feelings and thoughts are part of the artistic process making each piece of art jewelry part of you.
Process.
I am a Studio Art Jeweler which means I hand craft all my jewelry in my studio using many tools and techniques I have studied in classes and workshops or ideas I thought of by trial and error. I prefer creating collections of jewelry that pursue a concept I am interested in developing and exploring.
I am always looking for ways to link curving forms together so I hand fabricate from metal sheet and wire to create chains, links, pendants and charms that you will see throughout my work. I also have begun wax casting and casting of my hand fabricated pieces so I am able to create variations on a design theme.
Values.
Join me in giving back to mental health well being when you purchase Lori Aks Jewelry. A donation of 10% of purchases are donated to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.
Every piece of Lori Aks Jewelry is hand crafted by me in my New Jersey home studio. I strive to recycle and reuse elements to avoid adding to the waste stream. My packaging is eco-friendly and can be recycled.
Your happiness with your purchase is very important to me and I’ve developed a set of FAQs to answer questions about returns and care. Don’t hesitate to contact me with any further questions or inquiries.
