Gayle Friedman Helps Enliven Craft Jewelry Offerings in D.C.

"A lot of people don't know when they buy a piece of jewelry -- if it's not made in China or a factory -- they don't know what goes into that process," says artist Gayle Friedman.

But if they participate in CraftWeek DC they will.

Friedman says the current surge in interest in fine-craft jewelry in the area is due to a number of factors. Partly, she says, it's the influence of the Corcoran College of Art and Design, where you'll find such adventurous teachers as Jimin Park, who has been known to encase pearls in pig intestines. She also attributes it to the support of Georgetown's envelope-pushing Jewelers' Werk Galerie, whose CraftWeek contribution is a show featuring the jewelry of Mielle Harvey (one example is a pendant depicting a dead bird).

But you can't ignore the advocacy and outreach of Friedman herself, who regularly opens up the D.C. workshop she shares with several other artists and jewelers -- called Studio 4903 -- to the public, hosting lectures, slide shows and exhibitions. "We try to let people know what's involved in designing and making a piece of jewelry," she says. Her own work frequently incorporates ceramics, as well as found objects.

Whatever the reason, jewelry around here is really "bubbling," Friedman says. "It just seems like there are a lot of people who are making really fresh, lively jewelry. Look, in my opinion, even the more traditionally made jewelry seems to have a lighter, fresher air to it. I'm finding it really exciting right now, and I think it's only going to grow."

This weekend, the artists of Studio 4903 will host a spring show (Friday from 4 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 4903 Wisconsin Ave. NW, second floor). Their art can also be seen during CraftWeek DC at Flux Studios (3708 Wells Ave., Mount Rainier) as part of the open studio tours on April 24 from 10 a.m. to noon.