Tavia Brown

"Inspired by the dichotomies in life, I juxtapose textures, colors, and layers, balancing edgy and sweet, industrial and elegant, to create the signature look of taviametal."

Using life experiences—nature, family, memories—as her main inspirations, Tavia Brown creates work that tells stories through touch, sight, and sentiment. Combining tactile surfaces and impressions of nature with emotions of family, memory, and reverence, Brown grasps a subtle and soft atmosphere among industrial shapes and rigid metal. Balancing the gritty and the enchanting, Brown creates a signature look that is unmistakable: elegance with an edge.

Working in sterling silver, gold, and titanium, Tavia Brown designs and creates each piece of jewelry herself using lost wax casting, cold and hot fabrication, die-forming, etching, raising, and stone-setting. Currently, one of Brown's favorite processes is roller-printing. She creates her own embossed textures by first creating the design on a copper plate, then transferring the design onto sterling silver or gold by passing the two pieces of metal together through the rolling mill.

Since the age of six, Tavia Brown knew she wanted to be an artist. With this determination, she graduated with a BFA in metals from Appalachian State University. Her journey included a summer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a week at Touchstone Center for Crafts, and a month-long trip to Europe studying art history and painting. After college, Brown worked for a high-end jewelry designer—an invaluable experience to her growth as a skilled metalsmith and business owner.