Hello! My name is Colleen. I’m the artist behind Whitebark Silver.

I fell in love with metalsmithing because of its hands-on, precise, and challenging nature. I’m in awe of the materials I get to work with; the stones are little pieces of hardened, ancient Earth whose patterns reflect the landscapes and bodies of water from which they are formed. I love heating, forming, and bonding the silver around the stones to create pieces of art that people will be able to keep and admire for more than a lifetime. I primarily use all .925 sterling silver, and on occasion you’ll find pieces of brass and gold-fill in my work. All of the stones are natural, un-altered, and cut by independent lapidary artists. So, you can be sure that your jewelry from me is of the highest quality, and that your purchase is helping support authentic craftsmanship. Each piece is created with care, precision, skill, and passion.

Background

I grew up in southwest Oregon, then moved to Bozeman, Montana where I completed a BA in English-writing (and a whole lot of adventures in the Rocky Mountains), and for six summer seasons I worked on a commercial fishing boat in Alaska where we caught sustainable, wild Alaska salmon. I now reside in Baker City, Oregon. While working towards my degree, I came to appreciate that place identity and sense-of-place are integral to who we are. So in my jewelry you may catch little glimpses of Oregon, Montana, and Alaska. My work is inspired by these places that I identify with: the vast mountains, plains, forests, rivers, and oceans in the Western landscape.

If you’d like to get in touch, feel free to send me an email any time at cowinn46@gmail.com, or follow along with my jewelry-making process on instagram @whitebark.silver. Thanks for stopping by. I’m so grateful to have you here!