About greene river studio 

the artist 

My name is Katy Greene and I am the artist behind Greene River Studio. I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts from East Tennessee State University with a concentration in sculpture. Sculpture is one of those subjects, which requires a large knowledge and skill base, and in the process of acquiring my education I learned woodworking, and metalworking among other things.

the prints

Each print is from a hand rendered original artwork. My illustrations are, as all of my work is, inspired by nature. The linework in the drawings is meditative to me. for original artwork email me on the about page to request custom work.

request a custom

I offer “made-to-order” listings for popular designs on my earrings page and necklace page. for anything else contact me through the About page with your concept! I work with my clients budget and and thoughts, sketch out options and send pictures of stone and/or wood options. Once we have decided on a budget, design, and materials, I will send an invoice with required deposit to secure the clients spot on my customs list. I always work with a customers timeline as best I can, But handmade takes time, so anything with a rushed timeline of less than two weeks requires a small rush fee.

I also create custom illustrations for clients who want them for wall art, logo designs, and tattoos. Please do not ask me to copy another artist’s style for jewelry or illustration customs, but aside from that I always do my best to bring my clients vision to life.

for any and all questions email me through the about section of my site.

jewelry care

I use high quality materials in my jewelry, and when properly cared for they should last a lifetime and more.

brass, sterling silver, gold-fill, and fine silver are all quality metals that I use in my jewelry. These metals will naturally darken and develop a patina over time. This will happen more or less quickly depending on your body chemistry and the environment you live in.

your metal can be polished back to bright shininess with an all metal polishing cloth. Sunshine polishing cloth is a good brand and easy to purchase through Amazon. First, wash your hands and dry them, then gently wipe excess oils and dust from the jewelry with a dry cloth. Next, use the Sunshine cloth to polish the metal. The cloth will darken as you use it but it is still working. If your piece has tassels or any kind of textiles, avoid running your cloth over the strings as it could stain and darken them.

Never use chemical jewelry wash and never submerge your jewelry in water. If you buy a piece with all sterling silver this may be safe but it would be better to use a gentle dish soap and a soft bristled toothbrush to gently clean your jewelry, then dry completely (you may want to use a hair dryer on the lowest cool setting) before polishing with your Sunshine cloth. The chemical cleaners will damage softer stones like turquoise, opal, and jasper, as well as the wood and tassels that I use in my jewelry.

For any further cleaning, or if you don’t want to do it yourself, send me an email and for the price of shipping I will clean them up for you!

For tasseled jewelry if you want a new color or your tassels have become dingy or damaged, no matter how old, I will re-tassel your earrings for you at cost; that is at the price of the embroidery floss I use to make them. Just send me an email and we can talk color options and where to send your earrings.

the jewelry

I create one of a kind jewelry pieces, using wood, metal, and semi precious stones. I purchase sustainably and ethically sourced stones and wood as well as recycled metal, and my suppliers are mostly small businesses, many of them family owned. I create small limited edition micro collections that include one of a kind pieces and pieces that I can replicate in future for Made-to-order listings. I also do custom work for clients, working from a concept they bring to me, I create one of a kind pieces for them. While I do create multiples of certain designs, each one is different from the next, in the pattern of the wood, the color and shape of the stones, and the small differences you find in hand rendered artwork.

I like to keep my work sculptural and conceptual and am inspired by nature as well as design concepts like Scandinavian folk art, art nouveau, and art deco. My work is also informed by my love of linework drawings and in many of my pieces I seek to achieve that quality.

 The wood that I use is stabilized with resin making it resistant to wear from handling over time. When sanded and polished the wood has a lovely smooth texture and weight, giving it a finish like stone while maintaining an easy to wear weight.

    Each wood piece that you see is hand cut, shaped, sanded, and polished to a perfect finish. No two pieces of jewelry will ever be the same as the wood grains will never be the same. I use semi precious stones such as turquoise, opal, jasper, and druzy. The stones I use are ethically sourced and cut by hand by lapidary artists. All the metal pieces in my work are hand cut from quality raw materials and shaped and polished by my own hand.

I hand fabricate and finish all the metal work and offer many pieces as a Made-To-Order listing on my site. These pieces, as well as any custom work, have a 1-2 week order to ship date, so please order in advance if you would like your jewelry by a certain date. If you need to rush an order, send me an email first to see if I can accommodate.

Repairs

For any and all repairs send me an email and I will see what I can do to fix your jewelry. I do not issue refunds for anything broken or damaged after it has left my studio, but will gladly fix or replace any wood, metal or stone in your jewelry at cost (the price of materials used in the repair), or the price of shipping if the repair is very minor and no new materials are required.