Striped Petal Porcelain Pendant by Jenna Vanden Brink

Jenna Vanden Brink grew up in Detroit in a family where art was part of everyday life: her mom was a dancer, her dad was a potter and clay modeler at Ford, and their house was filled with handmade pots and artwork. After studying art in college, she moved to Pittsburgh with a big group of friends and spent seven years working at a nonprofit community arts organization, managing ceramics programs, teaching, and learning alongside other artists.

Jenna eventually left nonprofit work to focus on her own ceramics practice, which now encompasses both functional pottery and porcelain jewelry. The jewelry actually started with pieces she made as Galentine's Day gifts for friends! I love how her work retains evidence of the hand throughout, from carved lines and drawings to fingerprints deliberately left in the porcelain. Each piece is made from start to finish in her Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania studio.

I love how Jenna uses clean geometric lines and shapes to contrast the handmade qualities of porcelain. The pinstripes give these pieces a crisp, graphic quality, while the slight variations in the porcelain keep them from feeling too perfect.--Gigi