Diane West Jewelry

Diane is a self taught jeweler who began her career in 1999 by cutting the stones that she now uses in her jewelry. While learning the art of gem cutting, Diane developed a deep appreciation for the natural beauty of the rare gemstones she was shaping. This soon became a desire to create elegant jewelry based on a vision of clean design that celebrates the simple beauty of natural gemstones. Her partner, Mark, now does all the cutting, freeing Diane to focus solely on her jewelry. She remains dedicated to her original vision of simple beauty, using high quality gemstones and precious metals. Her work utilizes 22K gold, 18K gold, 14K gold and .925 silver.

“I believe that art is about emotion. If art is done well, then it will make you feel something, and if it’s done really well then it can prompt you to think about things in an entirely different way. Art jewelry is no different. Many people attribute metaphysical properties to various stones – and I am sure that there is truth in this. The way that I think about it however, is that different stones can make me feel different ways. An orange chalcedony ring can make me feel brave and give me that extra bit of strength that I need to get through a tough day. Chrysoprase absolutely gives me hope, and we all need that. Blue Chalcedony makes me feel peaceful and calm. But I would never tell somebody what they should feel when they put on a piece of my jewelry. That is based on the individual, and every person can get a different feeling from the same stone. All of my stones are hand cut with care in my studio in Durango, Colorado – and that is part of what makes them so special.”