Hi! My name is Julia, and I'm the woman who makes all this jewelry.

I began smithing in 2016, and quickly found a deep passion for creating jewelry. I opened Third Hand in 2018 as a way to provide customers with an awesome, local, handmade jewelry shopping experience. I believe in the quality of the handmade, supporting other local artists, and the importance of providing customers with a transparent look into the jewelry creation process. My goal is to make every single one of my customers feel special and taken care of.

Creating jewelry means so much more than putting consumable objects into the world. With the amount of creation and consumption that occurs every second, it’s important for me to be mindful of my contribution to that. My jewelry is meant to last. It’s a timeless process constructed of timeless materials. There is no worry of shoddy quality or fast trends.

Creating jewelry is inherently magical and when you wear a piece, you’ll feel the magic within both yourself and the meld of metal and stone. When I sit at my bench, my wish is for whoever wears the piece to find the confidence, joy, beauty, and meaning they might need in their day. 

The process of my craft is second nature to me now, it’s just as regular as brushing my teeth or cooking dinner, and it is just as important. I’ve tuned in to the rhythm of my flame, I can feel exactly how long it will take for my solder to flow, and know just how far I can push my metal before it cracks. It’s a methodical and magical process that I get to take ownership of. I put a piece of myself into each work I create, and feel so happy when I can see that resonate within someone else. I’m inspired by the chunks of earth that we call cabochon stones and prefer the asymmetrical, irregular ones. I relate to them a lot more than the perfectly cut, symmetrical stones. I prefer my work to be as imperfect and powerful as we all are— to me, their imperfections add to the quality of my work.

I have a BFA in Graphic Design, and love using my design skills to create a meaningful experience for my customers.

You can read more about why I create in my feature in Montana Woman Magazine, and on my Studio Tour blog for Intrigue Ink. 

Shoot me an email at third.hand.silversmith@gmail.com if you need to get in touch.

Cheers!

Julia