Rachael Ray
Montana Leaf, Widman Designs
A necklace created by Lake Forest jewelry designer Diana Widman will be worn by Rachael Ray on the Rachael Ray daytime talk show Monday, December 21 – that’s 10 am on WGN, Channel 9, in the Chicago area, or check here for your local show time. Rachael Ray will be interviewing Rod Stewart, and Ray will be wearing a piece called Montana Leaf.
Widman started her professional career as a journalist, then studied graphic design at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago while she was rearing her two kids in Lake Forest. After a stint as a printmaker, Widman turned to jewelry design.
How did your necklace land on Rachael Ray?
I got lucky. Her lawyer and his wife are customers of mine and a mutual friend happened to mention that Rachel is his client. One of those times that serendipity comes to town.
Please tell us about this particular piece; what was your inspiration?
The piece she is wearing, from the “Big Sky Collection,” is one of my favorites because it combines my hand-folded 18KT gold with the beautiful and very rare sapphire from Montana. These stones with their muted colors suggest sea and sky to me although they come from underground. Montana is the only source of sapphire in the United States, hence the name of the collection.
Diana Widman photo: Evan Schwartz
How did you get interested in jewelry design, and where did you begin? Jewelry as a career started with some boring pearl studs that I never wore. The bookbinding I was doing helped me with 3-D concepts, so I just drew a schematic of a pearl design and had them made. People kept asking me where I got them and before I knew it, I had ten pieces to “show.”
One hundred and fifty different designs and ten years later, here I am. I learned metalsmithing so I could make pieces that had the texture of paper and fabric. I make all the models for my pieces, then we cast them into different metals. That was my way of bringing the printmaking and bookbinding along with me.
Can you tell us about a favorite design project?
Yes! One of my best custom projects was for a soldier in Kandahar who saw the work on the internet and emailed me about creating a pendant for his girlfriend. We arranged to talk by phone and he very sweetly called from his post on his morning off. I was very moved by his love for his girlfriend and his thoughtfulness under duress.
Do you have a studio and/or showroom?
I have a new studio space at 55 East Washington St. in Chicago, Suite 301, under the auspices of Pia Jewelers. Sami my partner, has been making all my complicated pieces for many years and we finally joined forces. I sell the work in galleries around the country and here at CityWoods in Highland Park. Neiman Marcus is on the horizon for early next year. Also, we sell out of the showroom downtown or many customers come to my home office when that is convenient.
You designed a pendant for the Institute of Ocean Conservation Science – what inspired that?
I.O.C.S. Pendent
I decided to create the “SeaGems” line after a life-altering expedition to Antarctica in 2008 with the Institute’s Executive Director, Dr. Ellen Pikitch. The first piece is a pendent that can be purchased through my website, and 50 percent of net proceeds will go to the Institute in support of vital marine science research and conservation efforts around the world.
What are you currently working on?
Right now, I am working on a technique called Married metals, so called because the two metals are merged so that they become one skin. I am using gold on silver so that the price point is reasonable but we can still have gold, which is the loveliest metal to work with and wear, despite its ridiculous price.
Married Metal pendents photo credit: Evan Schwartz Photography
Doing this work is a privilege and a joy. Making things to bring delight and value and last through generations is very special and I never take it for granted.
