Jewelry Created with Gifts from the Earth

Growing up in rural America, and traveling every summer to our nation’s most beautiful National Parks, Vickie has a connection to the earth that shows in her work. Finding the beauty in the gifts that Mother Nature shares with us has never been hard for Vickie. Whether it is a tiny flower or a towering Sequoia, the breathtaking beauty of a waterfall or the colors of a sunset, the joy of that beauty pressures her to create – and her chosen art form is jewelry.

Here again, the Earth provides – creating gemstones of every hue and producing gold, an element so beautiful that it has stirred the human spirit for centuries. What an effect on history these elements have had, causing men to risk their lives, proclaim their love and even sell their souls.

 

About the Artist

Vickie grew up with a pencil in her hand. Drawing what she saw around her and what she imagined, she knew early on her career field would have to be centered around the arts.

Vickie’s path began with a fine arts degree, followed by a career in graphic design. Then, with extensive art experience but little business background, she started her own ad agency—demonstrating her natural penchant for being bold and reaching the pinnacle in her field.

Ever drawn back to the fine arts, Vickie left advertising and began working in three dimensional mediums. She mastered the design and fabrication of stained glass and created custom pieces both for churches and individuals. When she began goldsmithing, she knew she had found her niche. This work combined her love of three dimensional design, soldering metals, and creating her art using the gifts from Mother Nature. Since 1999, Vickie has focused exclusively on gemstones and precious metals to create heirloom-quality pieces.

Now, it’s her jewelry that makes a statement: Her one-of-a-kind jewelry designs are defined by extraordinary gemstones, unusual cuts, dazzling carvings, and eclectic materials. The result is elegant, striking jewelry—a small wearable sculpture in its own right. Ordinary is one of Vickie’s least favorite words! With so much beauty to share, no one should wear ordinary jewelry.

Vickie has a BA in fine art and is a Graduate Gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), with diplomas in jewelry design, gemology, and jewelry manufacturing. She is an award-winning designer and a member of the GIA Alumni Association.

 

Custom Designs

A professional artist throughout her working career, Vickie has cultivated her talent to see possibilities that often escape the notice of others. She creates eye-catching custom designs, integrating the ideas—and often the treasured keepsakes—of her clients into just the right piece for just the right occasion. With that same eye she seeks out eclectic materials and dazzling gemstone carvings elegantly sculpted by award-winning cutters. In each case she integrates the tastes of her clients, discovering unimagined possibilities. And the client gets a modern yet timeless treasure, a piece to be passed on from generation to generation.

Vickie Lynn Riggs

Vickie Riggs

Artist’s Statement

From my point of view as a Designer/Goldsmith, each piece of jewelry we make is art—Wearable Art!

I never wanted the ordinary, the trendy. There is enough of that in our lives. With so much beauty to behold in the gems that we use, and the creativity that adds to their beauty by the wonderful gem carvers in our industry today, each piece of jewelry I craft is far from ordinary!

Welcome to my world. I hope your visit will awaken your senses and kindle a desire for more art in your life!