Jewelry Artist Podcast: Susan Lenart, Metalsmithing as a Journey

The first time I met jewelry artist Susan Lenart was in a cold connections workshop at an art retreat. Her class blew my mind. She taught us to infuse found objects, wire, hand tools, and other jewelry-making bits and pieces with kinetic energy – but to attend to them with intense focus and skill. It was like a journey we all went on together, with Susan as our guide.

Jewelry Artist Podcast

In addition to being an accomplished artist and jeweler, Susan is also an author, instructor, and expert at product development. In this episode of Jewelry Artist podcast, Susan and I talk about her metalsmithing lifestyle and how listening to her artistic voice is the key to her success. Listen here and learn more, below.

Approaching the Bench

Susan spent many years creating commercial product lines and has recently focused on rediscovering her voice as a jewelry artist. Where she was formerly trying to find ways to express herself through products that would be most commercially successful, she now finds that people are drawn to the jewelry that she infuses with her spirit. She combines gemstones and other meaningful objects with silversmithing to create jewelry that feels at once ancient and modern.

For her finished jewelry line, Jewels of the Nomad, Susan says that she took inspiration from her studies of ancient adornment, “What fascinated me most were magical jewelry pieces called talismans, amulets and prayer boxes. They were personal pieces of adornment built with specific vibrations. Talismans spread their magic by visually representing a word or an object that makes you feel a particular emotion. Talismans are built to bring us joy, happiness, and protection from evil.”

Bangles and Gemstones

When we recorded the Jewelry Artist podcast, Susan’s signature stack of bangles was chiming throughout our conversation. I commented that I enjoy a jingly stack of bangles and we talked about the different ways that jewelry can be musical. Susan says, “I love a luscious, gorgeous large stack of bangle bracelets on my wrists that I can feel with all of my senses throughout my day as they chime as a singing bowl with my movement.”

In addition to druzy, turquoise, and bone, Susan favors rose-cut gemstones that are hand-cut and ethically sourced in India. She loves their organic shapes and enjoys incorporating gemstone colors and attributes into her jewelry. She says, “Through my travels, I began to see a common thread. I collected magical pieces created of metal, stone, gems, marks, icons and symbolism to protect from evil and to bring abundance, love, and prosperity.” She imbues all of her work with intention.

Jewelry Artist Journeys

Susan took her classroom to cities across the US for many years. Now, she takes her students to other countries for soulful exploration and jewelry making. Traveling has heavily influenced her own creations and she loves sharing this experience with open-minded makers and jewelry artists. They bring basic Nomadic Metalsmithing tool kits to Morocco, India, and Mexico, where they tour the area and then participate in a multi-day intensive workshop.

Her current traveling workshop series is entitled Sacred Devotional Talisman. Susan says, “Throughout history, talismans and prayer boxes have been worn purposely and used to enhance and bring the qualities, prayers or specific intentions embedded in these boxes to fruition.” She also teaches an Intentional Metalsmithing mentored e-course for students who are looking for an online experience.

Runway Ready

In the past few years, Susan’s Nomadic Jewelry has appeared on the runways of Milan’s fashion week and in the pages of Vogue and Elle. Susan enjoys creating oversized works based on her research of historical and cultural adornment. She combines metalsmithing techniques with intentions, prayers, and talismans to provide a sense of deep meaning and sacred relevance to these dramatic accessories.

Read Alter Metal Surfaces 15+ Ways with Susan Lenart Kazmer for a sneak peek at Susan’s techniques for prepping, crackling, cold enameling, and more.

All the best,
Katie Hacker, host of Jewelry Artist podcast