MEET JANINE

Hello! My name is Janine DeCresenzo. I’m a jewelry artist living in Philadelphia, originally from Staten Island, New York.

I grew up in a little waterfront community called Atlantic Village where I loved collecting shells, rocks and sea treasures.

Upon returning home, the finds would get laid out, examined and cleaned. 

This practice would later become a great comfort and inspiration, 

the act of searching and collecting, whether it was in nature or the most unusual cut gemstone, a needle in the haystack, I LOVE SEARCHING.

The older I get, the more I like sparkly things. The rarer and more unique, the better!

I use a combination of basic hand tools such as files, hammers, and burs, as well as some fancier machining tools to craft each and every piece of jewelry.

The metalwork I do is created from sheets of silver or gold that I shape and form so that it is hollow and light. I enjoy adding Ajouré elements - or openwork pierced patterns - into the jewelry designs. This technique is done with a jeweler’s saw; imagine a long hair with teeth is the blade. The pieces are hollow construction and lightweight.

I work with vintage coral that was collected years ago, giving it new life. All of the coral cutting is done in the studio with lapidary equipment. See the video below for coral cutting in action!!

“I have always been inspired by aquatic life and feel most relaxed and myself near the water. Using the coral and abalone in jewelry is my ode to the sea, giving it another life.”

Photo by Jennifer Rosen

Jewelry on display at Art Festival