We are Artners Gallery! Founded in 2012, the name was created by combining the words "artist" and "partners". We like to think of ourselves as partners in art because we support each other and make things happen together. In the process we hope to reach a much wider audience for fine art jewelry.
We are unaffiliated with any jewelry store and sell exclusively online. All of our jewelry artists live and work in North America. When you place an order, the artist ships the item directly to you. If the artist does not have the item in stock, he or she will make the item and ship it within the availability period.
We select our designers and their unique jewelry with you in mind. We try to include what some might call conceptual or art jewelry as well as unique but more fashion oriented jewelry to appeal to a variety of tastes; but above all we strive to maintain a consistent level of craftsmanship and design.
OUR STORY
You might ask why we created an online gallery when it is difficult to appreciate the craftsmanship without holding and touching the jewelry. Part of the reason is because we are confident in our jewelry artists and the quality of their work. But if truth be told we originally wanted to open a retail jewelry store. Unfortunately, a series of events caused us to change direction.
My wife was born overseas. She originally studied metalwork and sculpture before falling in love with designing jewelry. I spent most of my career in finance before the company I worked for collapsed during the financial crisis. I lived in London and the Far East for many years and have a life-long interest in the arts. We met in 2005 and have been together ever since.
My wife came to this country to establish her own jewelry line and to open a store, but she quickly faced the financial realities of pursuing her dream. When I joined her five years later the opportunity presented itself again, but the financial crisis forced us to postpone our plans. Then one day after a craft show my wife's jewelry was stolen.
The devastation, both personal and financial, caused us to give pause. After considering our options, we pushed forward and started an online jewelry gallery because we truly believe in the future of selling handmade designer jewelry online in the 21st century. We hope you do as well.
OUR MISSION
We chose the unlikely medium of modern art jewelry because of the relationships we built up with many jewelry artists through years of exhibiting at craft shows. We wanted to support the artists and at the same time expose the medium to a wider audience. Nevertheless, we recognized that the art of jewelry making means something different to different people and wanted to give our customers – our friends -- a chance to decide for themselves.
Maressa Tosto Merwarth, one of our award-winning jewelry artists, frames the question like this: “what delineates jewelry vs. sculpture, wearable vs non-wearable, precious vs. non-precious, and beyond that, craft vs. fine art?” The answer depends on who you are and why you buy jewelry. Maressa believes “it is less about defining what [the jeweler] makes and more about the materials, the process, and the interaction between the artist and the wearer.” What do you think?
BEGIN THE JOURNEY
Please browse our carefully curated collection of fine art jewelry and begin a collection of your own! Social media enthusiasts may visit us on Pinterest, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram. Don’t forget that we offer FREE Ground Shipping on all orders less than $5,000 in the Continental United States and Canada. If you have any questions we are here to help.
Have fun!
John Speaks