Michael Boyd: Carving a Niche in Gemstone Jewelry

Michael Boyd is one of those designers whose work you can spot from a mile, even if you haven’t seen it in years. Its originality has to do with its layers of color and texture. Plus, each element is individually fabricated to fit the design, including the gemstones he cuts himself. 

ABOVE: Necklace by Michael Boyd. 22K, 18K, sterling silver, tourmaline, diamonds.  

He says, “I view gemstones as a medium, like paint or clay or metal, instead of an accessory to a piece of jewelry. For me, stones become a palette of texture and color.” 

Buying vs Cutting Gemstones

“When you buy pre-cut stones, you’re relying on shapes and forms everybody else is using,” he says. “I view stones as a medium, like paint or clay or metal, instead of an accessory to a piece of jewelry. For me, stones become a palette of texture and color.” 

Cutting his own rough has saved him a lot of money over the years, he says. It also means he’s never forced to cut a standard girdle or create a standard setting. He’s known to carve grooves in the in the tops of his stones to fit a metal saddle over them. “Cutting my gemstones means I can do whatever I come up with,” Boyd says. “I can really push the envelope.” 

Stone-on-Stone Jewelry

Boyd credits Lapidary Journal for coining the term “stone on stone” to describe the signature style of gemstone jewelry he developed in the mid-1990s, a technique many have adopted since. His jewelry was bulky and sculptural then. It’s more compact and streamlined now, with more gold and sparkle. But it’s clearly an extension of those original assemblages.  

Boyd made his first piece of jewelry at age 12 but trained and worked as a painter and ceramicist in college. Jewelry making was his side hustle until his gallerist Shelia Nussbaum visited his studio when he was in his 30s, spotted his jewelry, and requested some to sell. Within a year, jewelry took over. He began selling it at other high-end craft galleries.  

Galleries like Aaron Faber and Ladyfingers remain his main source of revenue, as well as shows like the American Craft Council’s (ACC’s) American Craft Show in Baltimore. Boyd has never had a production line, refusing to do anything but one-of-a-kind work. In 2002 he gave a demonstration at the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG) in Denver. He’s been in demand as a workshop instructor ever since. 

–Cathleen

About the Author

This post is excerpted from “Carving a Niche” by Cathleen McCarthy, Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist Fall 2021. All photos by Steve Bigley, courtesy of the artist. Other artists profiled in the article include Stephen M. Avery, Steve Walters, Sherris Cottier Shank, John Dyer, and Naomi Sarna. Each pioneered techniques and distinctive styles that won awards, sustained exciting careers, and set new standards for the lapidary arts. 

You can read the rest of the article in the Fall 2021 issue, which is included in an Interweave Plus membership.