Hand Inscribed Jewelry – Words of Gold Etched for Eternity!

If you like poetry and would like to immortalize your favorite lines on everlasting precious metal, hand inscribed jewelry is what you need to consider. Let master jewelry designers such as Jeanine Payer help transform your favorite poetry into an exquisite piece of jewelry.

Does the prospect of getting to ‘wear’ poetry on your body thrill you? How about having Ralph Waldo Emerson wrapped around your arms? Or Lau Tzu around your fingers? What if you could keep a few golden lines by Walt Whitman close to your heart?

With Jeanine Payer’s exclusive range of hand inscribed jewelry, you can. Bracelets, rings, earrings and necklaces – each meticulously crafted from precious metals with words of gold etched on them for eternal enjoyment. Poetry hand-engraved onto precious metals is how this San Francisco-based jewelry designer creates her collections of emotionally engaging yet subtle hand inscribed jewelry. Take the Alene bracelet, for example. A brushed, sterling silver cuff accented with an 18k high polish gold face plate featuring a hand-textured look on both the interior and exterior surfaces. The hand engraving that appears along the 18k gold plate bears Emerson’s immortal lines, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

Jeanine's simplicity and originality are evident in her pendants, bracelets and earrings, executed in sterling silver and 18 karat gold, all hand inscribed with poetry in a miniature scale and made to be treasured for years to come. Some of her popular creations bear such pearls of wisdom as "The soul is here for its own joy"; "The journey is the reward"; and "Everything is waiting for you".

There are few things as intimate as wearing poetry against your skin, as many of her clients can acclaim. Her international following includes Jessica Lange, Susan Sarandon, Mick Jagger and Johnny Depp. Payer has also worked closely to design custom pieces for Meg Ryan, Seal, Sheryl Crow and Debra Missing.

Growing up in Southern California, Payer was surrounded by an artistic family who encouraged her to pursue creative expression in all its forms, whether it was keeping journals or studying sculpture and drawing. "I believe in pieces having a wonder about them. I like making things that are at once both powerful and private," says Payer.

One of Payer's first creations was designed as a gift: a tiny book engraved with a beloved poem by Rainer Maria Rilke that only the wearer knew was there. Today, Payer's designs continue to be graced with the words of both contemporary and ancient voices such as Emily Dickinson, Rumi, Lao Tzu, Jane Hirshfield, and Ovid. "Each person brings their own particular meaning to the jewelry, therefore each piece becomes highly endowed," says the designer. "These pieces become talismanic as they are chosen to mark emotional and philosophical moments in each person's life."

Payer and her highly-skilled team of fifteen metalsmiths craft these collections a year in a bustling atelier in the historic Phelan Building – San Francisco's original jewelry center. The jewelry is on display in her retail store, located just a few floors below the workshop, as well as in over 250 Specialty Stores worldwide including Fred Segal in Los Angeles, Barney New York and Japan.

Jeanine Payer’s hand inscribed jewelry is simply hypnotic in their beauty. Feast your eyes on some of her beautiful creations at her website.