Recommended by Mary Draper,  jewelry artist Sydney Lynch takes the Jewelry Report interview and talks about her designs.  Her jewelry is bold and beautiful, combining a variety of metalsmithing and stone setting techniques to create jewelry that is at once refined and unique.

What are your favorite materials to work with?
I work in sterling, mostly oxidized, combined with 18k and 22k gold.  I love color and  use a wide variety of colored stones in my one of a kind pieces.

What is your favorite design, and is this your best seller?

Currently, I've been making lariats, which are a lot of fun because I can combine a variety of shapes and materials in one piece. They are very sculptural. They are one of a kind, and not best-sellers.  My best sellers are easy-to-wear earrings from my production line.

How did you first get into jewelry art in general?

When I was 19 I did a student project on the Navajo Reservations and met jewelry-makers for the first time.  Back in my student days at the University of Colorado,  I registered for a jewelry class because the ceramics class I wanted was full.  That was 1971, and I've been making jewelry ever since.

Can you tell us more about the themes that run through your jewelry?

I have a wide range of interests and a short attention span, which I think carries over to my jewelry designs.  I'm equally attracted to natural forms and urban decay, both directions supplying textures and forms that I love.  I take photos constantly and eventually those images reach my jewelry, more by osmosis than by intentional connection.

What do you have planned for future collections?

Good question!  I never plan collections ahead. For me the design process is highly intuitive, never calculated.   When I feel like designing, there are always sources of inspiration available.  I'm very spontaneous in this respect.

Do you get more excited about the design or technical aspects of jewelry art?

I feel that design is my strength.  I wish I had a more mechanical engineering brain, but technique is more the means to an end for me.  On the other hand, once I've figured out what I want to do,  I love sitting at the bench and working.  The process, while sometimes frustrating, is something I love.

Can you name another jewelry designer whose work you admire?

One of my favorite jewelry designers is Karen Gilbert.  Todd Reed and Barbara Heinrich are also big in my jewelry pantheon.

Do you find the process of experimentation frustrating or inspiring?

Both, equally.

Do you prefer doing retail or trade events?

Trade events are easier because buyers are generally decisive and know what they are looking at and for.  On the other hand,  I sure like making retail sales.

If you could have any jewelry super-power to help you with your jewelry what would it be?  (Perhaps flame throwing hands to fire your pieces quickly?  Mind reading for your customers? Extra arms?  :)

I'd like to have the brain of a mechanical engineer and the soul and vision of an artist.

You can see more of Sydney's work at http://www.sydneylynch.com/