Randi Chervitz owns and operates a private jewelry studio in Kirkwood, Missouri, the oldest suburb in Saint Louis. Raising two boys, Chervitz successfully balances family life and business. Her Uncommon Threads Jewelry line and online store continue to be at the center of her life.
Chervitz feels privileged to make her own living through her art making, and is constantly exploring new ways to create texture through metal. Best known for her hand- crocheted silver and gold jewelry pieces, and speaking to other artists about the business of art, she continues to develop her product line. As Chervitz advances her product line she sees her style evolving from the delicate-looking crocheted pieces toward heavier gauge, manipulated metal forms and incorporating natural colored stones and diamonds. With this idea in mind Chervitz created her first Men’s Jewelry Collection in 2010 opening a new market for Uncommon Threads Jewelry.
Randi Chervitz’s education and retail experience allow her to transition exciting new fashion trends into her collection. Her jewelry line contains pieces that show her “art focused” approach in which she was previously trained, and the fine jewelry approach she is presently developing through her studies at the Gemological Institute of America, Carlsbad, California.
Chervitz educated herself in both fashion and design, attending prestigious schools, such as Vassar College, Parsons School of Design, Penland School of Craft & the Paris Fashion Institute. She’s also completed a semester abroad in Cortona, Italy through the University of Georgia. Chervitz completed her BFA in Metal and Fiber at “the Harvard” of metalsmithing, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Chervitz continues to develop her craft and is completing online courses through the GIA to obtain a Graduate Gemology Degree.
Inspired by fashion magazines and art at a young age Chervitz pursued career opportunities that allowed her to learn more about fashion and merchandising, Chervitz worked first as a seamstress, making debutant dresses and learning the importance of the “measure twice cut once” philosophy. Chervitz later became an Assistant Store Manager and Client Specialist at Banana Republic, and Banana Republic Women, Gap’s first Women’s- product-only store, at Plaza Frontenac in Saint Louis County. Chervitz was able to parlay this experience into a Buyer/Store Manager position at Craft Alliance, one of America’s longest-standing NFP institutions focused on handmade contemporary craft. This background and education allowed Chervitz to move into the jewelry business full time, selling her exclusive jewelry line throughout the country.
In addition to uncommonthreadsjewelry.com, Chervitz showcases her Uncommon Threads Jewelry line throughout the United States at one-of-a-kind shows, art shows, galleries, and festivals. Other online stores such as artfulhome.com and velvetradical.com carry select pieces of Chervitz’s artwork.
I first picked up my grandmother’s crochet hook while taking a metal-smithing class in college. She taught me to knit when I was a child, and I always had good feelings about the individual stitches that make up a larger whole. Crocheting silver to make wearable objects quickly became my signature.
Manipulating the crochet stitches, combining them with other weights of metal to act as various weights of line, and adding stones, allow me to create satisfying visual patterns that also function as wearable jewelry.
Design-wise, I adore repetitive pattern. Many of the objects around my home, photographs, ceramic dinnerware, picture frames and even furniture feature strong black-and-white contrasting pattern. With this in mind, I’ve focused my exploration of pattern by limiting my use of color in gemstones. Freshwater pearls have always been my favorite. They’re the perfect accent to a long, smooth line of metal. I particularly love the cool, icy look of pearls against the dark contrast of the oxidized metal. My oxidized pieces offer an aggressive, “gutsy” look.
When I use color I find I am drawn to stones that appear opposite each other on the color wheel: orange stones, like Mexican Fire Opal or Fire Citrine, and a range of blue and blue-greens, like Amazonite, blue varieties of Quartz and Aquamarine. I think the complementary hues, when used together or in a series of pieces, help me emphasize that contrasts can harmonize to create a powerful visual result.
