Jewelry Artist Diary

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June 20, 2019Live Events, Jewelry Artist DiaryAndrea LiComment

A Day In The Life Of A Jewelry Designer: 04 - Designer Prologue

July 18, 2018Jewelry Artist DiaryAndrea Li6 Comments

Making the actual jewelry is only a small part of my work as a single-person business. To introduce the designer, an interview with fellow Denver business owner Vanessa Barcus.

https://blog.shopgoldyn.com/2015/06/07/i-am-andrea-li/

A Day In The Life Of A Jewelry Artist 02: Gemstone Selection Process

July 18, 2018Jewelry Artist DiaryAndrea LiComment

The Tucson Gem Show is the crown jewel event for jewelry designers worldwide. I first attended in 2002, and this is my gemstone selection process at the 2018 show.

https://tucson.com/entertainment/fun-facts-about-the-tucson-gem-mineral-and-fossil-showcase/collection_8e19633e-007c-11e8-b31a-4b61272606f9.html#6

Day In the Life Of A Jewelry Artist 05: Live Events - DRAFTspace - Complete Parts

April 4, 2018Live Events, Jewelry Artist DiaryAndrea LiComment

There is nothing better as an artist than sharing your work with a live audience. My part in the NYC jewelry exhibition Complete Parts, and why it is time to rethink the trunk show.

Day In The Life Of A Jewelry Designer 07: Live Events - ADV Summer Fashion Show

April 4, 2018Creative Collabs, Jewelry Artist DiaryAndrea LiComment

For me as a designer it is so important to promote community over competition. My live event with Ashley De'Von Model, a local agency that celebrates all models regardless of race or size.

Day In The Life Of A Jewelry Designer 03: Live Events - Alien Life Fashion Show

October 24, 2016Live Events, Jewelry Artist DiaryAndrea Li2 Comments

My first year in the Alien Life Fashion Show, in its biggest installment yet: ten designers, over 30 looks, and a sold out audience of over three thousand at The Fillmore.

https://xposermagazine.com/alien-life-fashion-show/

Day In The Life Of A Jewelry Designer 02: Live Events - Fierce In The City Fashion Show

October 18, 2016Live Events, Jewelry Artist DiaryAndrea LiComment

Fierce in the City returns for its second installment, pairing live musical talent with a runway of Colorado's top designers, produced by fashion designer Salwa Owens.

http://fashiondenver.com/2016/09/07/7681/

Day In The Life Of A Jewelry Designer 01: Live Events - Urban Nights

August 31, 2016Live Events, Jewelry Artist DiaryAndrea LiComment

Urban Nights is Colorado's largest outdoor fashion extravaganza, and it generates financial and educational support for Urban Peak, a nonprofit serving youth experiencing homelessness.

http://www.westword.com/slideshow/models-strut-the-runway-at-urban-nights-8257954

Featured Posts

Featured

September 11, 2026

Why Matching Earrings Are Harder Than They Look

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The Last Kunzite I Had

September 11, 2026

Blue hour Moonstone Pendant Necklace.jpg

September 11, 2026

Why Moonstone Is Cut Smooth

September 11, 2026

September 11, 2026

Why I Made a Bangle Instead of Another Cuff

September 11, 2026

September 3, 2026

Why a Link Bracelet Takes Three Days

September 3, 2026

September 3, 2026

What Kunzite Looks Like at the Bench

September 3, 2026

July 29, 2026

Moontide: The Moonstone Necklace I Was Not Sure Would Work

July 29, 2026

July 15, 2026

For Tamar

July 15, 2026

July 14, 2026

Halo: A Beautiful Contradiction

July 14, 2026

The Leap of Faith Behind a Mother's 70th

July 14, 2026

July 2, 2026

Ember: The Smallest Stalactite Became a Cuff

July 2, 2026

Cascade: The Amethyst Stalactite Necklace That Falls Like Water

July 2, 2026

June 20, 2026

The Wire That Found a Home Twice: Green Amethyst Hoops and Their Necklace

June 20, 2026

Fairy Dynamite's Sister: A Rainbow Pearl Lariat

June 20, 2026

The Ovals That Found a New Home: A Vermeil Collar Necklace

June 20, 2026

June 19, 2026

The Choker That Floats: A Rainbow Moonstone Story

June 19, 2026

The Stone That Sat in My Drawer for Years: An Amethyst Stalactite Necklace

June 19, 2026

How a Name Comes to a One-of-a-Kind Piece: The Fairy Dynamite Story

June 19, 2026

June 16, 2026

Multi-Color Sapphire Briolettes: My Quiet Constant

June 16, 2026

June 4, 2026

Carolyn's Three Necklaces: Heirlooms Become Something New

June 4, 2026

It started as a conversation between friends about a green jade pendant Carolyn had from her aunt. Five years and three commissions later, her aunt's jade, her aunt's whiskey topaz, and a strand of pearls chosen from her late mother-in-law's collection are now necklaces Carolyn wears to weddings, concerts, and ordinary days. The studio's longest multi-generational heirloom-redesign arc.

June 4, 2026

When Monet Meets the Bench Reading Sara Mrad's Fleur de Lumière Through Tamar.jpg

May 12, 2026

When Monet Meets the Bench: Reading Sara Mrad's Fleur de Lumière Through Tamar

May 12, 2026

April 29, 2026

Studio Stories: Janet - "I Haven't Bought Jewelry from a Store Since"

April 29, 2026

She saw one necklace online and called the number listed. Over a decade and fifteen-plus commissions later, Janet has not bought jewelry from a store since. From a labradorite necklace built around her own stone to statement earrings inspired by Alexander McQueen runway shows, her collection is the longest-running commission relationship in the studio.

April 29, 2026

April 29, 2026

Studio Stories: Patricia's Ring - Because a Plain Gold Band Was Never Going to Be Enough

April 29, 2026

No gift. No occasion. No gemstones. Patricia wanted a solid gold ring that looked like nothing else, and she bought it for herself because she wanted it. Andrea hand-carved the form from wax, filed architectural facets into the surface, and cast it in solid 14k gold.

April 29, 2026

April 29, 2026

Studio Stories: Debi's Tradition - A Necklace for Every Granddaughter's 10th Birthday

April 29, 2026

Every granddaughter gets a one-of-a-kind Andrea Li necklace on her tenth birthday. That is the tradition Debi is building. Real diamonds, solid 14k gold, and a design made for who each girl is at ten, built to grow with her.

April 29, 2026

April 28, 2026

Studio Stories: Deb's Necklace - What Happens After You Buy

April 28, 2026

Deb bought a statement necklace online from a designer she had never met. It arrived and it did not fit her petite frame. What happened next is the part most jewelry brands never show you: Andrea shortened it for free, no questions asked, no deadline.

April 28, 2026

April 28, 2026

Studio Stories: Tricia's Commissions - A Sold-Out Favorite and a Necklace She Saw on Screen

April 28, 2026

Tricia found Andrea's work twice. First through a sold-out piece she could not stop thinking about. Then through a necklace she spotted on a character on screen. Both times, she reached out. Both times, the result was something entirely new.

April 28, 2026

April 28, 2026

Studio Stories: Loretta's Tradition - Six Years, Three Women, and a Standing Date on My Design Calendar

April 28, 2026

What started as one commission became a six-year annual tradition. Every year, Loretta returns with a new vision for herself and her two closest friends, the three women she built a company with over two decades. Eighteen pieces and counting, including custom cufflinks for the men who stand beside them.

April 28, 2026

April 28, 2026

Studio Stories: Judy's Collection - The Woman Who Went Page by Page

April 28, 2026

Judy found a necklace she loved on the website. It was sold out. Instead of moving on, she went page by page through every collection, flagging everything that spoke to her. That conversation became the first of many commissions, each one built from the DNA of a sold-out favorite.

April 28, 2026

March 22, 2026

Studio Stories: Autumn's Beachside Wedding Set - Found at Midnight, Worn at the Shore

March 22, 2026

Found at Midnight, Worn at the Shore

March 22, 2026

March 22, 2026

Studio Stories: The Eternity Circle Ring - A Ring Forged in Fire

March 22, 2026