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Owner, Goldsmith, & Jewelry Designer

Jen Leddy Barnes

From a young age Jen was drawn to the creation of tiny things. That tendency blossomed into a love of arts and crafts, and then focused into the medium of clay, building both functional and sculptural ceramics. Subsequently, an introductory metalsmithing class in Florence, Italy in 2007,  ignited Jen's path into jewelry making. The exposure to a medium that embodies controlled expression and precision in contrast to the imperfect and variable world of clay, was instantly captivating. Jen discovered an ideal combination of skill driven craft, small scale techincal manipulation by hand, and undeniable function - jewelry is wearable art. Both durable and symbolic, jewlery and its long-standing form of emotional and cultural significance, transcends time. 

Originally from Colorado, Jen transplanted to San Francisco for almost 7 years, where she continued her jewelry training at Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts. By tackling custom work, Jen furthered her education, in much of a self-driven and trial by fire approach, by learning new skills as they became necessary to create the designs she was inspired to build. The business organically grew one customer and one retail account at a time. Jen currently lives and works from her private studio in Austin, TX with her husband and kitty cats.

Production & Studio Assitant

Claire Rogers

Claire hails from New York, NY with a background in jewelry making from the young age of 14, when she started learning from her architect mom who had dabbled in metalsmithing. She studied at Colorado College where she found herself spending extra time in the jewelry studio, and soon after, teaching intro classes. After completing her education at the The New School in NY, Claire then moved to Austin, TX where she would begin working part-time at a local jewelry store. Serendipitously, Claire was in search of additional part-time work at the bench, just as Jen was looking to fill a production assistant role.

Claire has been the right hand woman of JLS since September 2019, assisting in fundmental roles of running the small scale studio. From hand-fabricated production of our collection pieces, to photography and marketing, to packaging and shipping, Claire wears almost as many hats as Jen herself. It is all about teamwork and collaboration to bring JLS jewelry to the world!

The Jewelry

Design & Inspiration

Handcrafted using traditional goldsmithing techniques, Jen Leddy Studios' jewelry is made from recycled precious metals and responsibly sourced stones. Jen’s design encompasses a modern, minimalist approach, beauty in simplicity, and old world craftsmanship with nods to vintage and art deco aesthetics. The jewelry from each collection is made to be layered and stacked, to be combined with, and become a staple in, one’s growing personal collection. A key foundational value in Jen’s work and studio is championing sustainable and earth-friendly practices - from the SCS certified metal to solar powered energy. Making and designing with both history and future generations in mind, Jen hand-fabricates her line out of her local Austin, TX, studio.

Honorable Mentions: Felines of the Studio

Shoog

Like clockwork, Shoog is a prompt alarm clock letting us know when it's 6 o'clock and she needs to eat.

June Bug

Generally sleeping on the job, or lazing about distracting us from doing work, June Bug is a true studio cat!

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