/EINPresswire.com/ Lapidary Artist Angie Howard of Orlando, Florida was recently selected to contribute one of her unique hand cut stone and wire wrapped pendants to producer, writer and actress Tyra Banks.
Lapidary artist Angie Howard, owner of and designer at Angie’s Jewelry Design (http://www.angiesjewelrydesign.com), was recently selected, in association with The Artisan Group, to gift one of her hand cut stone and wire wrapped pendants to producer, writer and actress Tyra Banks. The pendant is part of a collaborative gift bag that will be delivered to Ms. Banks in mid to late June.
The Orlando, Florida artist has previously gifted Jordin Sparks with a purple Sugalite pendant and will be participating in GBK’s Luxury Gift Lounge in honor of the MTV Movie Awards nominees and presenters on June 1-2. She is particularly excited about gifting Ms. Banks, noting that she is inspired by her business acumen and how she has grown her brand over the years. “With her great fashion sense, I want to make sure Tyra’s piece is perfectly suited to her,” said Ms. Howard. “This will take some thought and experimentation, so the piece is definitely still a work in progress.”
Howard describes her one of kind jewelry as bold and elegant. It is distinguished by the fact that she uses only natural stones, which she cuts and wire wraps by hand. “I rarely see an artist who does what I do,” said Howard. “Cutting stones is time consuming and not for the faint of heart. Even though I study each stone carefully before beginning the cutting process, stones can still break. Or a new pattern may suggest itself, which can mean starting over in terms of the design concept.” She was inspired to study jewelry making and lapidary after visits to Hong Kong exposed her to the jade markets and a variety of beautiful jewelry where stones were the focal point. Her passion only increased with trips to China and Tibet, where she was able to add unusual specimens to her collection, including agates from near Mt. Everest and white jade acquired in Nanjing.
Howard works out of her home studio/workshop, surrounded by lots and lots of rocks. Her equipment arsenal goes far beyond the typical jeweler’s band saw and torch to include a 10″ round diamond slab slaw, a 6″ round water cooled diamond saw and a cabbing machine with 6 1-1/2″ diamond wheels. “My husband was gracious enough to clear out a little space for me in the garage,” laughed Howard. She participates in 8 or 9 juried invitational art shows each year in Florida, where she has the opportunity to not only sell her work but teach people about the lapidary arts. “I always try to have a section of the original stone with me for each piece of jewelry. People like to see the before and after. They’re always amazed at the variety, patterns and colors. And so am I,” said Howard.
Prior to establishing herself as a full time jeweler, Howard led live entertainment production teams at a large theme park organization in Central Florida, where she produced everything from stage shows to fireworks spectaculars. Her other passion is theatre. She was active in theatre for many years and has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Theatre Management from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Howard is a member of the Central Florida Gem and Mineral Society and The Artisan Group, an exclusive celebrity gifting group that she became involved with through a word of mouth referral.
Learn more about Angie’s Jewelry Design and its participation in the Tyra Banks collaborative gift bag and GBK’s Celebrity Gift Lounge in honor of the MTV Movie Awards nominees and presenters by visiting http://www.angiesjewelrydesign.com. For press inquiries about The Artisan Group, visit http://www.theartisangroup.org or email press@theartisangroup.org.
About Angie Howard and Angie’s Jewelry Design
Angie Howard is the owner of Angie’s Jewelry Design (http://www.angiesjewelrydesign.com), established in 2007. She is a self-taught jeweler who participates in invitational juried art festivals in Florida and the surrounding states. In addition, she sells her jewelry on her website.
Angie Howard
Angie’s Jewelry Design
407 929 9998
http://www.angiesjewelrydesign.com
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