Adam Shirley

I started making jewelry when I was 14 years old as a freshman in high school (I later discovered how rare it was for a high school to have a jewelry arts program!). Realizing the best way to learn the traditional techniques was through an apprenticeship, I started working as a bench jeweler. I then received a scholarship to study jewelry design at the College for Creative Studies where I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. In 1997 I opened my retail jewelry store, Adam Shirley Jewelry Design, where I design and hand make each piece of jewelry from start to finish. The techniques used in creating the work include: casting, fabrication, soldering, forging and stone setting. The materials used are predominantly sterling silver, gold and platinum with precious and semi-precious gem stones. The earrings, bracelets, necklaces and rings I produce are inspired by the precision, machined aesthetics of industrial design; this aesthetic is then intuitively infused with organic interpretations and subtleties of the handmade.