Short Biography

From the time I started to learn making jewelry 33 years ago, it has been a passion for me. While attending goldsmithing school and later on apprenticing and working I had set up my workbench at home and created my own pieces at night. I was experimenting, fabricating landscapes in silver after watercolors that I made while traveling in the south of France. Soon I had my own collection, selling in stores around Germany. With a ceramicist friend I started a small gallery named “Arts & Crafts” in Hamburg. In 1991 I moved to the United States with my American husband, Ted, and our two children.  After owning and managing Goldsmiths Gallery in Atlanta I have been a studio artist for the past ten years.  I enjoy traveling for shows and visits to galleries, while spending most of my days in the workshop. Please visit the section with studio photos to see some details of my daily work.

about my work

  My jewelry pieces are improvisations on themes of free flowing as well as classical forms. The contrast between sterling silver, often oxidized, and 22k gold inspires the play with textures and patterns. Fine wires act similar to lines in drawings, and the use of gold balls can be bold or very delicate, depending on their sizes. Other favorite metals are 18k gold and platinum. I love luminous cabochons, aquamarines for their silky shine and their largeness, tourmalines for the range of colors. My goal is to keep an almost ancient simplicity for each piece, with the overall collection having a contemporary feel, reflecting complex references between materials, colors, and textures.

EDUCATION

 Goldschmiedeschule, Pforzheim, Germany, 1974-76

Apprenticeship with Herbert Munsteiner, Idar-Oberstein, 1976-77

Goldsmith’s Certification, Handwerkskammer Karlsruhe, 1977

Studies of Drawing, Fachhochschule für Design, Hamburg, 1980

Studies of Philosophy at University of Hamburg, 1981-87

Professional Affiliations

American Craft Council

Georgia Goldsmiths Group

Piedmont Craftsmen, Inc.

Society of North American Goldsmiths 

regina@imbsweiler.com