Handmade in the Hudson Valley
Soot Jewelry is the creation of artist, writer, and metalsmith Rose Gordon, a graduate of PrattMWP Arts Institute and SUNY New Paltz with a BFA in Metals. Living and working in the Hudson Valley Region of New York, she has been writing and creating since childhood and crafting jewelry for over 10 years.
“Soot was born at the intersection of my lifelong infatuations with architecture, ruins, magic, exploration, ornamentation, and metal. I grew up in Utica, a precarious place that’s often been called ‘the city that God forgot.’ It’s home to seemingly endless pieces of fantastic architecture often left to rot or boarded up in preparation for demolition, sprawling gothic cemeteries, desolate factories, and one ominous asylum. It’s a place often given a harsher rap than it deserves, but these surroundings fostered a deep appreciation for the beauty one can find both in history and in ruin.
After taking my first class in metal on a whim I fell in love with the beauty, alchemy, and detailed craftsmanship involved in metalsmithing. Jewelry making has been a passion of mine since that first class, learning the age-old magic of manipulating raw material with fire and the force of human hands. I connect deeply with the medium and love creating these small art objects that interact so directly with the body that they often become part of the wearer, soaked in their memory. Talismans, faith objects, amulets, badges of honour, tokens of commitment or friendship, reminders of death, life, and love... jewelry becomes, it evolves, it ages with you and when passed down carries that history with it. Adornment has a special place in human history, and I’m honored to be a part of that.”
