Arts & Culture Magazine - March/April 2008 - (Page 37) By Alison Abbey : : Profile Helen Ringus Jewelry as a Work of Art ewelry has always been a part of Helen Ringus’s life. “It started when I was a kid collecting shells and rocks and crystals,” she says. The Chicago native says that when she and her mother went to Marshall Field, she would ask to be dropped off in the jewelry department. “I always had a passion for it.” After a stint as a pharmacist in New York City, Helen decided it was time to follow that passion. Already well-acquainted with the city’s jewelry district, she began to work for established jewelers, offering estate, antique repairs and redesigns. Helen Ringus made a name for herself working for all of the major jewelers (as well as Sotheby’s Auction House) from her own jewelry workshop with her 11 employees for 25 years. When, as she says, the industry began to change and she could no longer stand the cold weather, Helen moved to Florida and set up shop on Main Street. “Twenty years ago, I said if I ever had a store, I wanted it to be on Main Street. And here I am.” Working for herself gives Ringus the freedom to concentrate on designing the jewelry that she loves. “My jewelry speaks for itself,” she says. “It’s different. It’s eclectic. It’s not what appeals to the common man. It’s for people who like something different. Something oneof-a-kind unique.” She has found many such art lovers in Sarasota. “It’s a special kind of customer that wants to wear a piece of art, and there’s lots of those [here] because it’s an artsy town. That uniqueness is what I think should be in everything—in clothes, in jewelry, in life.” Helen Ringus ‘Wearable Art’ sees jewelry as a personal experience. “Customers need to come in and see for themselves and decide. It either appeals to your aesthetic sense or I design something specific. It’s a pleasure thing, it makes you happy, it relieves stress. You will enjoy it as part of life’s perks.” j Dragon Fly : : Amethyst Ring. www.artsandculturemag.com sarasotawearableart.com arts and culture magazine : : 37 http://www.artsandculturemag.com http://sarasotawearableart.com
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