Hilary Hertzler

"My hope is that my jewelry helps you feel strong and happy in your own skin. That it makes you smile and brings you a bit of joy when you wear it. That it encourages you to express a part of yourself not so apparent to the rest of the world."

Hilary Hertzler makes work that is an imaginative leap into self-expression in a riot of color, texture, and unexpected material combinations. She bridges modernity in design with a tactile connection to simple materials such as seeds, clay, glass, and fiber—transforming these simple materials into jewelry that is joyful and transformative for the wearer.

Hertzler's design process is very intuitive and intimate. Each piece is woven together by hand using a wide range of materials, from handmade clay beads and dyed seeds to 14k gold fill and fiber. Her aim is to create jewelry that is strong, tactile, and satisfying to touch and to wear.

Surrounded by the Pennsylvania Dutch craft traditions of her hometown and raised by a father who was a dairy farmer and sculptor and a mother who was an urban-loving educator, Hertzler was drawn to the joy of creating handmade items at a young age. Working for over a decade as an interior architect, Hertzler transitioned to jewelry in 2015. As a self-taught jeweler, she explores the points at which these diverse influences intersect in her work.

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Selected Exhibitions & Awards
Materials: Hard + Soft, Greater Denton Arts Council, Denton, Texas, 2020
Outside the Lines, Monique Rancourt Artisan Gallery, Waltham, MA, 2021
Sparkle Plenty, Quirk Gallery, Richmond, VA, 2021
American Craft Council Show, Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD, USA, 2019
Featured Artist, Craft + Design Show, Richmond, VA, 2019
Earrings Galore!, Heidi Lowe Gallery, New York, NY, 2019 + 2018
New Artist Award, Craft + Design Show, Richmond, VA, 2018
Celebration of American Craft, Creative Arts Workshop, Hartford, CT, 2018
Smithsonian Craft Show, National Building Museum, Washington, DC, 2022