Idelle Hammond-Sass

Idelle Hammond-Sass Design

"I draw my inspiration from the natural world—shapes and forms inspired by their inherent architecture."

As a child, Idelle Hammond-Sass collected pieces of broken glass, seeing them as diamonds and emeralds. This fascination with stones stuck with her. Today, when creating jewelry, she especially likes playing with the various combinations of textures and colors of stones, doing all of the stone setting herself—hearkening back to those days of collecting broken-glass emeralds.

Hammond-Sass creates jewelry out of sterling silver and 14k gold. If the piece is cast, a model is made first in sterling. Fabricated pieces begin as sterling that is roller printed with paper handmade in India. The artist then rolls sterling wire and gold sheet over brass plates that she has drawn and etched on, creating a richly patterned surface.

With more than 20 years of experience, Hammond-Sass finds that jewelry making presents an opportunity to create tangible objects that incorporate all of her interests and abilities. Throughout her life, she has also explored drawing, printmaking, painting, and sculpture. She received a BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago.

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