Achieving her vision for the way she wants a piece to look is what Judi Powers loves most about making jewelry. But it’s not just HER vision that matters. She’s all about connecting with her customer and creating jewelry that has meaning for them.
“Fine jewelry is something (my customers) will have for a long time,” says Judi. “It isn’t a fashion accessory. It’s more of a memento.”
Materials you don’t see every day
Judi works almost exclusively in green gold. Her choice is unusual and buyers know it. They're drawn to a metal they don't often see in fine jewelry. “I love green gold” says Judi. “It’s cool, satisfying, so pretty.”
Judi hand-selects every stone she uses. She loves dendritic quartzes and agates, whose patterns resemble branches or landscapes (dendritic means branch-like). She's also drawn to tourmalines. Watermelon is a personal favorite. She works sustainably and carefully selects her materials to protect the longevity and lasting beauty of each piece.
Judi Powers: the back story
Before she started making jewelry, Judi was living in New York City and working for a book publisher. Their offices were less than a mile from the World Trade Center. Feeling devastated and lost in the weeks and months after 9/11, Judi was driven to find something outside of work that gave her satisfaction and joy. She longed to connect with people who weren’t in her world. She needed space.
Remembering that she had loved beading as a child, Judi took a jewelry-making class at the 92nd Street YMCA, the first of several classes in the years that followed. She met other jewelry makers, did trunk shows, and gradually embedded herself in the milieu of jewelry making. In 2012, ready to fully commit to her craft, she quit her day job and enrolled in the jewelry design program at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). “Best thing I ever did,” she says.
During her year-long intensive at FIT Judi studied under the senior designer who created the new setting for the Hope Diamond for Harry Winston Jewelry. “He taught me how to integrate gemstones and how to mix colors and shapes,” says Judi. “I learned to approach the creation of a piece in more complex ways. (Studying with him) was priceless.” She finished her degree and launched Judi Powers Jewelry in 2013.
Judi Powers Jewelry at KMJ Aspen
Today Judi lives in a small tourist town in New York's Hudson River Valley. She designs all of her jewelry and makes the majority of her pieces. Retail partners like KMJ are a big part of her business. Prior to COVID, Judi sold at fine craft fairs and shows in the East and the Midwest. KMJ Aspen carries a curated selection of Judi Powers Jewelry. You'll find dendritic quartz earrings, tourmaline necklaces, Kapoor earrings in 18k gold with pink sapphires, and more, all elegant and radiating their natural beauty. Pricing from $199 to $1,949.