Hand Forged Originals
Family Studio Est. 1964 in Big Sur, Ca
Limited Production Studio Jewelry
Recycled 18k, 22k & 24k Silver and Platinum combined with ethically sourced gemstones
ART. ADORNMENT. JEWELRY.
Carrie Armstrong Design
&
Ali Lee - AAL
A 30 carat chalcedony cabochon, cut long and high so light enters the stone rather than skating across it. The blue reads as lit from within. Set in 22 karat gold, flanked by a faceted sapphire and an old mine cut diamond. Two points of sharp light bracket the cabochon's slow glow. The satin silver body keeps the stones the brightest things in the piece. Nothing here is ornament. An amulet, a form I've made variations of for as long as I've been able to make. Never the same, always similar. Bail is 18 karat gold.
Satin silver
22k gold
18k gold bail
30 carat chalcedony cabochon
Sapphire
Old mine cut diamond
Hand fabricated in our studio
One of a kind.
Made by our hands in our mountain studio in the USA. One of one: once it sells, it will not be made again. Returns accepted within 15 days of delivery if the piece hasn't been damaged.
Every piece has a story. To hear more or see it on a video call: studio@bigsurgoldsmiths.com · 541.301.6923
We can also send video or more photos of the piece.
I'm available by phone or email if you have any questions.
To The Gallery
22k gold, nothing else. Hand tooled and satin brush finished. The ear wire is 22k gold throughout.
The surface carries the mark of the tool directly. Nothing cast, nothing fabricated by machine. The form is the work. Nearly an inch wide.
Drop 1.6" (40.8mm)
Width 0.89" (22.5mm)
Forged by Carrie
One of a kind.
Made by our hands in our mountain studio in the USA. One of one: once it sells, it will not be made again. Returns accepted within 15 days of delivery if the piece hasn’t been damaged.
We can also send video or more photos of the piece.
I’m available by phone or email if you have any questions.
Fossilized coral, an oval cabochon, 18 carats, in a 22k gold setting on sterling silver.
Ring size 8.5
1.10 ” (28.7mm) vertical
0.75 ” (19.2mm) horizontal
0.28 ” (7.1mm) gem height
0.47 ” (12mm) band width
Form fitted band shape
Hand fabricated by Ali
Individually crafted studio piece
Made by our hands in our mountain studio in the USA. One of one: once it sells, it will not be made again. Returns accepted within 15 days of delivery if the piece hasn’t been damaged. Rings can often be sized up and only very rarely down. If you need a different size, we’d be glad to make you a similar piece in your size.
We can also send video or more photos of the piece.
I’m available by phone or email if you have any questions.
Legacy - Big Sur Roots
Our story begins in 1964 at Esalen, when the human potential movement was just getting started. What is now called the Art Barn was the first studio: pottery, painting, sculpture, jewelry. Ali's father, Karl Lee, made his first work there. Later he moved to Henry Miller's old cabin on Partington Ridge, and that is where the work and the raising of a family began in earnest. Ali was born and raised up there, above the Pacific, among raw metals and lapidary tools, with the surf going all day.
Today Carrie and Ali carry on Karl's work in the mountains of Ashland, Oregon. Two people, one studio. We alloy our own gold. We set stones we have gathered and cut over many years. Every piece is one of a kind, designed and made by hand, start to finish, right here. Nothing goes out. Nothing comes off a line. We have a lifelong commitment to jewelry as art, and we keep it.
KARL LEE 1960’s STUDIO (The Esalen Art Barn)
Karl began hand forging these Big Sur Classics in the 1970s at his studio on Partington Ridge, above the coast, where Ali was born and raised. The first ones went mostly to neighbors and to the Phoenix Shop at Nepenthe.
Carrie and Ali still make them the same way. Each month we make a few in 22k gold and silver, set with a cabochon from the collection to honor this tradition.
Original Work
Please stay in touch, we always have interesting work in the studio and welcome inquiries
Notes from our studio
We don't send emails often. But if you'd like an occasional, quiet note directly from the two of us, sign up below. We'll let you know when Ali has cut a fresh batch of cabochons, or when new pieces are finally off the bench and ready for their next chapter. We are also adding to the blog slowly but surely.
WHERE TO SEE OUR WORK IN BIG SUR
THE PHOENIX SHOP AT NEPENTHE
has carried our work since the 1970s. If you are visiting Big Sur please stop by this iconic Highway 1 landmark to experience our one-of-a-kind work in person.