"Myrtlewood Leaf Earrings" by April Ottey

Recycled sterling silver, 23k gold keum-boo, 14k gold ear wires and small hoop. 2022. These earrings feature Myrtlewood leaves cast in sterling silver with the leaf enhanced with 23k gold keum-boo. The cast leaves swing nicely below the 14k gold ear wire and small hoop. The striking angularity, texture, and light weight of these leaves makes them perfect for earrings.

The Myrtlewood is a tree that goes by many names, but it thrives in only one area—the beautiful coastal forests of the Pacific Northwest. One of its names—the California bay—hints at just how much these leaves resemble culinary bay leaves. But fresh Myrtlewood leaves have a peppery aroma all their own and were often used by Native American tribes as medicine.

April Ottey is an artist living in Port Townsend, WA. She has her studio a stones throw from Discovery Bay where she creates contemporary jewelry inspired by the natural world. Her close up inspection of various stages of birth, growth, death and decay in forests, rivers and beaches has shaped who she is as an artist. She casts, fabricates and incorporates the textures and intricate shapes found in nature to create jewelry that places nature into a new context.

April’s work can be found in various galleries throughout the Northwest. She is a member of the Northwest Designer Craftsmen Guild and the Seattle Metals Guild. She has an MFA from Central Washington University and an undergraduate degree from Montana State University. She taught jewelry and metalsmithing at an alternative high school for 10 years until she decided to pursue her own work full time in 2015.

You can find more of the artist's work at www.aprilottey.com.