About the Artist

Bryan's credentials are almost as impressive as his work, however his growth as an artist cannot be measured by traditional standards.

His passion for jewelry started 35 years ago at the age of 15. At 20 he attended the Gemological Institute of America and earned a certificate as a Graduate Gemologist and a certificate in jewelry design, then went on to work as a jewelry arts instructor at G.I.A.

Following his formal training, he traveled and created pieces for countless boutiques and big name stores, including Tiffany's, Black Star & Frost, Nieman Marcus, Nordstroms and locally, Tivol.

Fifteen years ago, he became interested in Japanese metal techniques and is now one of a handful of artists practicing the art of Mokume Gane.

Mokume Gane (translating to wood grain metal) is a 400 year old process that involves the layering of different colored metals in an alternating pattern and bonding these metals using only heat and pressure. After the bonding, the solid stack is cold forged to a desired thickness, and then is ground into to reveal the layers of color and further cold forged until the metals are flush again.

Once reduced into sheet, it is ready to be formed into the desired forms.

Bryan teaches this process on a one on one basis and can be contacted at (816)-347-0418 or bryanleebrown@aol.com