Today we’d like to introduce you to Yarrow Mead.
Hi Yarrow, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I became interested in metalwork while managing a theater properties shop during my undergraduate years at Hamline University. I was lucky enough to have a theater manager who encouraged us to try many techniques, and I found myself returning again and again to metalsmithing. After college, I was lucky again to get an internship with the very talented designer and goldsmith Stephan Höglund, who’s been a jeweler for over 40 years.
After that, I was pretty much all in. I started slowly building up my skills and designs, worked for/was mentored by various other jewelers, and eventually started my own business.
The best thing about goldsmithing is that there will always be more to learn. It’s a fantastically complicated and creative field and I feel so lucky to have stumbled into it and been mentored and encouraged by such talented artists.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
In some ways, it’s been a very smooth road, because once I found goldsmithing I never had any doubt it’s what I wanted to be doing.
In other ways, though it has not been so smooth. It took me a long time to find my voice, and although I do feel now that I am designing in a way that communicates what I want to communicate, I still have a lot of growing to do.
It’s also been difficult financially, which any artist who runs their own business knows. I’ve grown slowly, and there were (and may be yet!) some very lean years.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I suppose I would say I specialize in organic, asymmetrical fine jewelry with a focus on local materials and sustainability. I use many local stones, such as Agate, Thomsonite, and Chlorastrolite. I also use recycled metal that has been refined in the U.S.A. and use mainly recycled/compostable shipping materials.
I like being small, so I take a very limited amount of customs, and I only have a few designs I make on a larger made-to-order scale.
I’m also known for working with teeth! I’ve made jewelry out of bear, coyote, cat, dog, deer, moose, and human teeth.
What matters most to you? Why?
Sustainability and community matter to me.
There are a lot of talented people making a lot of jewelry out there, and I’m not interested in competing with them, I want to be in a community with them.
I think with ethical business practices and a focus on making work that speaks to me rather than work that sells fast there will always be folks who like my work and want to support it.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.yarrowmeadmetals.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yarrowmeadmetals/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/yarrowmeadmetals/
Image Credits
Thomas Osmonson
Lily Mead
Model: Saba Andualem
