From an old piece of driftwood to a finished piece of sterling silver.

Driftwood Pendant: When Nature Becomes Jewelry

There are some pieces of wood that are beautiful simply because of what time has done to them.

This Driftwood Pendant began with that kind of inspiration.

The original piece of wood has been with me for more than 20 years. It has dried, aged, changed, and developed the kind of texture that can't be manufactured.

When I began sculpting this pendant in wax, I wasn't trying to copy the wood.

I was trying to translate what I saw in it.

The flowing grain.

The ridges.

The openings.

The movement.

I wanted the finished piece to feel organic rather than perfectly planned—as though nature had created the form and I had simply followed along.

Look closer. Every curve, opening, and textured line was sculpted to carry the movement of nature into metal.

Looking Closer

Once the wax sculpture began to take shape, the details became just as important as the overall form.

The texture needed to move through the pendant naturally. The raised areas needed to catch the light, while the deeper grooves would become beautifully dark once the piece was oxidized.

That contrast is part of what gives this pendant its character.

It isn't meant to look like a perfect piece of wood.

It is meant to feel like nature translated into metal.

And that's where the magic of lost-wax sculpting comes in.

I can take something I see in nature and work it directly with my hands in wax—carving, shaping, removing, adding, and following the form until it feels right.

Then the wax disappears.

The texture remains.

A Pendant for Anyone

I designed this Driftwood Pendant as a unisex piece.

There is something about organic forms that doesn't belong to one particular style or gender. The texture gives it character, while the elongated shape and oxidized sterling silver give it enough presence to stand on its own.

It can be worn simply, letting the pendant be the focal point, or layered with other pieces.

But either way, it carries the same idea that has been at the heart of my work for more than 20 years:

Nature leaves the imprint. I simply translate it into metal.

And sometimes, the simplest inspiration can become something completely unexpected.

Front and back—because a pendant can tell more than one story when it turns.

Pendant Details

Collection: Driftwood Pendants

Metal: Sterling Silver

Finish: Oxidized

Size: Approximately 56 mm × 40 mm at the widest points

Weight: 0.27 oz

Style: Unisex

Process: Hand-sculpted wax / Lost-wax casting

 

Woodland Weave — where the beauty of nature becomes a piece of jewelry.

When the Woodland Weave Becomes Jewelry

There is a moment in creating jewelry that I never take for granted.

It is the moment when something that existed only in my hands, my imagination, and a piece of wax finally becomes real jewelry.

That moment has arrived for Woodland Weave.

For years, I have been drawn to the way branches grow around, over, and beside one another in nature. They don't follow straight lines. They twist. They reach. They intertwine.

That is the feeling I wanted to capture in this collection.

And now, I can finally show you one of the finished pieces.

Woodland Weave is no longer just an idea. It is jewelry.

The Woodland Weave ring begins in my hands, sculpted in wax around the stone that inspired the design.

From the woodland to the studio

When I begin a piece, I don't start with a computer drawing or a manufactured setting.

I work with wax.

I carve, bend, remove, add, and shape until the design begins to feel alive in my hands. The branches have to look as though they could have grown that way naturally.

That organic quality is important to me.

I don't want the jewelry to look like nature was copied.

I want it to feel as though nature found its way into the metal.

And then comes the stone

This particular ring became something especially beautiful when the green-and-beige stone found its place within the branches.

The colors remind me of things you might discover on a woodland walk—the greens of moss and leaves, the earthy beige of bark and stone, and all the subtle variations that make something found in nature unique.

I didn't want the setting to overpower the stone.

I wanted the branches to hold it, protect it, and become part of its story.

That is what I love about this ring.

Nothing feels separated.

The stone and the branches belong together.

The finished piece

Once the wax becomes silver, something magical happens.

The tiny textures become deeper. The branches become stronger. The oxidation settles into the details and brings out the lines that I carved by hand.

And suddenly, what I could see in my mind is sitting in front of me.

A finished ring.

A piece of Woodland Weave.

And this is where the collection takes its next step.

Not from nature into wax.

But from wax into jewelry.

A ring meant to be worn

There is another moment I love even more than seeing a finished piece sitting on my workbench.

Seeing it on a hand.

That is when jewelry becomes personal.

It stops being an object I created and becomes something someone can wear, live with, and eventually make part of their own story.

That is what I hope for every piece I create.

Not simply that someone will look at it and think it is beautiful.

But that they will put it on and feel that somehow, it belongs to them.

💚

A new chapter begins

Woodland Weave began with an idea that had been living in my mind.

Then it moved into wax.

Then into metal.

And now it is ready to leave my studio and become part of someone's story.

This is only the beginning of the collection.

There are more branches to weave, more stones to discover, and more pieces waiting to take shape.

For me, that is the joy of creating.

Nature gives me the inspiration.

My hands give it form.

And eventually, the jewelry gets to go out into the world.

A new chapter of Woodland Weave has begun.

— Dawn Vertrees
Dawn Vertrees Jewelry

When Driftwood Becomes Jewelry 🌿❤️

The finished Driftwood Pendant — sculpted in wax, transformed into 14k Rose Gold, and finished with deep oxidation to reveal the organic texture and movement of the design.

When Driftwood Becomes Jewelry

There are times when I sit down with a piece of wax and I don't really know what I'm going to make.

I just start looking.

I look at the shape. I turn it over in my hands. I follow a line with my eyes and wonder where it wants to go. Sometimes the piece tells me what it wants to become long before I have a name for it.

That is how this pendant began.

I wanted to capture something I have always loved about driftwood—the way nature can take something as ordinary as a piece of wood and transform it into something extraordinary.

Driftwood isn't perfect.

It is weathered. It has been shaped by water, wind, time and movement. Its surface carries the evidence of everything it has been through.

That is what I wanted this pendant to feel like.

Not a picture of a piece of wood.

But the spirit of driftwood.

Before it became gold, it was simply a piece of blue wax in my hand — sculpted line by line until the form finally felt right.

♥

It Started in Wax...

Working in soft wax gives me the freedom to sculpt the way I see.

I don't begin with a perfectly symmetrical drawing and then try to make the jewelry match it. I follow the movement of the material.

One line becomes another. A branch curves. A space opens. A little bit of wax disappears and suddenly the whole piece breathes differently.

I love those openings.

They are just as important as the metal that remains.

The negative space allows light to travel through the pendant and creates the deep shadows that make the piece feel almost alive.

And, as often happens with my work, I changed it.

The first version wasn't quite where I wanted it to be. I went back into the wax and revised the form, allowing the lines to become more fluid and the lower portion of the pendant to have more movement.

Sometimes the smallest change is what finally makes a piece feel right.

From Wax to Metal

Once the wax is finished, the piece begins another life.

This version is envisioned in 14k Rose Gold, with oxidation worked into the deeper recesses.

That contrast is important to me.

I don't want every surface of my jewelry to shout, Look at me, I'm gold.

I want the light to find the raised areas while the darker oxidized recesses settle into the background.

Just like the cracks and shadows in a piece of weathered wood.

The result is warm, dimensional and organic.

It still looks like something that might have been found along the edge of a river or tucked beneath an old tree.

Only now, it has become jewelry.

The Beauty Is in the Imperfection

I think that is what keeps drawing me back to nature.

Nothing is perfectly symmetrical.

Nothing repeats itself exactly.

A branch doesn't stop and ask whether its next curve makes sense. It simply grows.

That is what I try to capture when I sculpt.

I want the finished piece to feel as though it grew rather than was constructed.

This Driftwood Pendant is one of those pieces where the metal almost disappears as metal.

You see the movement first.

You see the texture.

You see the spaces.

And then you realize that what you're looking at is gold.

A Little Piece of the Forest

I have spent much of my jewelry-making life looking at leaves, twigs, roots, vines, bark and the little details most people walk right past.

I don't see just a piece of wood.

I see a line.

A curve.

A place where light falls.

A shape that might become something completely different in my hands.

That is the magic of creating jewelry this way.

I don't have to reproduce nature.

I get to interpret it.

And sometimes, a little piece of driftwood becomes a pendant.

❤️

Designed and sculpted by Dawn Vertrees.

The Back Matters: Because Art Flips

THE FRONT

Cleaned up and carrying the texture, flow, and movement of the design.

THE BACK

Before cleanup — waiting for the same attention it takes to make the front beautiful.

The Back Matters: Because Art Flips

A picture says a thousand words.
Sometimes, though, a picture makes you stop and ask a question.
As I was working on this new wax pendant, I had already spent a great deal of time sculpting the front. The flowing lines, texture, movement, and organic shape were beginning to feel right.
Then I turned it over.
Holy moly, that's ugly. 😂
Not because the pendant was wrong. The back simply hadn't received the attention the front had yet.
And that's when I started thinking about something I've understood for a very long time:
Art flips.
For more than 20 years, I've finished the backs of my pendants.
Why?
Because jewelry moves.
It twists.
It turns.
It shifts when you wear it.
At some point, the back is going to become the front.
And when that happens, I don't want someone wearing one of my pieces to see a flat piece of metal with a logo simply because that's traditionally what we do.
I want them to see art.

The Front...

The front of this pendant has already been cleaned up and refined.
The texture flows through the piece, creating movement rather than a perfectly predictable pattern. The raised areas catch the light, while the deeper grooves create shadow and dimension.
It's meant to feel organic.
It's meant to look as though the material itself created the movement.
This is the part most people will see first.
But it isn't the only part I care about.

The Back...

This photograph shows the back before I gave it the attention it needed.
It's rough.
It's unfinished.
And compared to the front, well...

Holy moly. 😂

But underneath that unfinished surface is the beginning of another piece of art.
The back doesn't need to be an exact copy of the front.
In fact, I don't want it to be.
It needs to have its own art.
It needs its own texture, movement, and character while still feeling like it belongs to the same piece.
Because if the pendant flips around, I don't want the story to stop.
I want it to tell another story.

Nature Doesn't Have a "Front" and "Back"

That's one of the things I love about working from nature.
A piece of driftwood doesn't have a side that nature decided was the beautiful side.
Every surface has something to say.
There are ridges, cracks, grain, weathering, and places where the wood has changed over time.
The texture continues around the piece because nature doesn't stop creating simply because we've turned something over.
That's what I try to translate into my jewelry.
I'm not trying to make the front beautiful and simply make the back functional.
I'm trying to make the entire piece feel alive.

Pieces of History, Inspiration for Today: The Driftwood Band

 

Pieces of History. Inspiration for Today.

The Driftwood Band is more than a piece of jewelry—it carries the character of the natural world that inspired it. After more than 20 years of working with organic forms, I still find that nature leaves the best fingerprints.

I've Been Making Men's Jewelry for 20 Years… Maybe It's Time to Pay Attention

I've been thinking.

That's usually when something interesting starts happening around here.

For more than 20 years, I've been carving jewelry inspired by the natural world. Leaves, branches, roots, vines, driftwood, coral—I've always been drawn to forms that look as though they grew instead of being designed.

And for just as long, I've been making pieces that men wear.

I've never really called it a men's collection.

I simply made what I wanted to make.

But lately, I'm beginning to wonder if I've been overlooking something that's been right in front of me all along.

The Driftwood Band

One of my long-time selling rings began with a real piece of driftwood.

Not a photograph.

Not a computer-generated texture.

Actual wood.

I studied the way it moved, the openings, the grain, the irregular shapes and the strength in something that had been weathered by nature.

Then I took that feeling into my wax.

The result became a ring that has continued to sell for years.

And it just sold again—in gold.

Interestingly, the most recent gold ring was purchased by a woman for her fiancé.

That made me smile.

Because maybe the customer isn't always looking for "men's jewelry."

Sometimes she's simply looking for something that feels like him.

And sometimes a man sees the organic ring his partner is wearing and says, "I like that. Do you have something that goes with hers?"

I love that idea.

Not matching rings.

Rings that belong together.

So I'm Paying Attention

I'm not interested in suddenly creating a huge men's jewelry department.

That's not how I work.

I'm thinking about a small group of pieces.

A few rings.

A pendant.

And perhaps a cuff.

(And if you've followed my work for any length of time, you know I'm no stranger to cuffs.)

My Ocean World cuffs were carried in Wyland Galleries for years, so creating a substantial organic cuff isn't new territory for me.

What's different is where my eye is today.

After more than two decades of carving, casting, experimenting and watching people live with my jewelry, I have a much better understanding of what happens when you let nature lead the design.

I Don't Want to Make "Men's Jewelry."

I want to make Dawn Vertrees jewelry that happens to be worn by men.

That's an important distinction to me.

I don't want to take my work and make it harder, heavier or more masculine just because someone says it is for a man.

I want to keep the things that have always made my work mine:

Organic form.

Texture.

Movement.

Strength.

Imperfection.

Nature.

And then see where those ideas take me.

Maybe that becomes a small men's collection.

Maybe it becomes something couples can discover together.

Maybe a woman finds a ring for her fiancé.

Maybe a man finds something that reminds him of the outdoors, the water, the woods or a place that means something to him.

I don't know yet.

And that's actually the fun part.

I'm going to start carving.

One piece at a time.

And we'll see what grows.

After all, that's how most of my jewelry begins.

Mother & Child Whale Tail Pendant | Hand Sculpted Sterling Silver Necklace

Mother & Child Whale Tail Pendant

A Story Carried by the Sea

Some designs begin with a sketch.

Others begin with a memory.

This pendant began with the quiet moment when a mother whale gently guides her calf through the endless ocean. There is no rush, no fear—only trust, protection, and an unspoken bond that has existed for millions of years.

As I sculpted this piece in wax, I wanted it to feel alive. Not perfectly symmetrical. Not rigid. Just flowing... as though the ocean itself had shaped every curve.

Inspired by the enduring bond between a mother whale and her calf, this hand-sculpted sterling silver pendant captures the beauty, strength, and graceful movement of the ocean.

🐳

Designed for everyday wear, the Mother & Child Whale Tail Pendant rests beautifully at the neckline, making it a meaningful reminder of love, family, and the sea.

Celebrate the bond between mother and child with this hand-sculpted sterling silver whale tail pendant. Inspired by the ocean and created one curve at a time by Dawn Vertrees.

A closer look at the front of the pendant reveals the flowing lines of the mother and calf, hand sculpted to create the natural movement and organic beauty found in nature.

 

Nature Designs the Prongs

"Only one hour into carving, and the branches are already finding their way around the Moss Agate. Nature has a beautiful way of designing the prongs. 🌿✨"

Nature Designs the Prongs...

Sometimes the best jewelry designs don't begin with a drawing—they begin with listening to nature.

Today, only one hour into carving this new ring in blue wax, the design is already beginning to tell its own story. Rather than forcing traditional prongs around the gemstone, I allowed the branches to grow naturally, wrapping around a 10 x 8 mm oval Moss Agate cabochon as though the stone had always belonged there.

The beauty of working in wax is that every curve can evolve organically. One branch becomes two. A gentle twist becomes the beginning of a tree. Before long, the prongs disappear, replaced by something that feels alive.

There are still many hours of carving ahead before the bark texture, flowing lines, and final details emerge, but this early stage is often my favorite. It's the moment when an idea first takes root.

Sometimes, nature designs the prongs better than we ever could.

Materials

• Sterling Silver
• Oxidized Finish
• 10 × 8 mm Oval Moss Agate Cabochon
• Hand carved in wax using the lost wax casting process

 

Nature Designs the Prongs... I Simply Follow

 

Tree branches growing vertically, naturally forming twig-like prongs that inspired Dawn Vertrees' floating gemstone jewelry designs and handcrafted lost wax jewelry.

Horizontal tree branch resembling an organic gemstone setting with natural twig prongs, inspiring Dawn Vertrees' nature-inspired engagement ring designs.

Nature Designs the Prongs... I Simply Follow

When a Tree Teaches a Jeweler

There are moments when inspiration doesn't come from a jewelry store, a design book, or a sketch on paper.

Sometimes it comes from standing beneath a tree.

Recently, I found myself looking up into a canopy of branches. Most people would have seen beautiful leaves, twisting limbs, and filtered sunlight. I saw something different.

I saw prongs.

Not the manufactured, perfectly symmetrical prongs found in traditional jewelry, but something far more elegant. Nature doesn't force balance—it creates harmony. Every branch grows with purpose, supporting the next until something beautiful is lifted toward the light.

That is exactly how I have designed jewelry for years.

Nature Never Uses Four Identical Prongs

When I sculpt in soft wax, I don't begin by asking, "Where do the prongs go?"

Instead, I ask,

"How would nature hold this gemstone?"

A tree doesn't grow identical branches around a leaf. A vine doesn't wrap perfectly around a flower. Every curve has movement, every twig has a purpose, and every branch supports the life growing from it.

That philosophy has become the foundation of my jewelry.

A gemstone shouldn't look trapped.

It should look as though it has grown there.

The Floating Gemstone

One of the signatures of my designs is what I call my Floating Diamond Collection.

Rather than forcing a diamond into a traditional setting, I allow graceful twigs and branches to rise naturally beneath the stone, gently lifting it as if presenting a gift from the forest itself.

The result is light.

Air.

Movement.

The gemstone appears to float while remaining securely held by nature-inspired forms.

Nature Solves the Engineering

As I studied these branches, I realized something that made me smile.

Nature had already solved the hardest part.

Every twist and intersection creates incredible strength without looking heavy. The branches divide naturally, creating support points that are both beautiful and functional.

As a jeweler, my job isn't to improve upon nature.

My job is simply to listen.

More Than Jewelry

Every ring, pendant, and pair of earrings I create begins with observation.

A walk beneath the trees.

A winding root.

A tiny twig reaching toward the sunlight.

These quiet moments become precious metals, gemstones, and heirlooms that carry the spirit of the forest into everyday life.

When someone wears one of my designs, I hope they feel more than beauty.

I hope they feel connected to something timeless.

To growth.

To strength.

To nature itself.

Because sometimes the greatest designer has always been standing silently in the forest.

And I'm simply grateful to translate its work into jewelry.

---

❤️ Dawn Vertrees
Master Lost Wax Artist | Nature-Inspired Jewelry Designer

"Nature designs the prongs... I simply follow." 🌿💎

The Floating Diamond Bridal Set Grows: Sculpting the Companion Ring in Wax

Every bridal set begins with a vision. Today, that vision grows as the companion wedding band is sculpted by hand in wax. Designed to flow naturally around the floating diamond engagement ring, each twig is carefully shaped to look as though it grew together in nature—creating a bridal set that celebrates love, craftsmanship, and the beauty of the forest.

💚

Every collection has its quiet moments of growth. Today, I’m sharing the next chapter in the Floating Diamond Collection—the companion ring that completes the story.

Nature’s Continuing Embrace

The original Floating Diamond ring asks the eye to linger on the stone gently lifted by two sculpted leaves. This matching band (or second engagement option in the set) weaves the narrative further. Twigs flow organically around the finger while additional leaves rise to support and frame the design, creating a harmonious set that feels like it grew together.

In the wax stage shown here, you can see the hand-sculpted details: the flowing band with bark-like texture, the varied leaves that echo the engagement ring, and the way the structure cradles the diamond with lightness rather than heavy prongs.

From Wax to 14k Rose Gold

In about two weeks, this wax model will be cast in 14k rose gold. I envision a light oxidation to highlight the organic textures—the bark will catch subtle depth, while the polished leaves and diamond will shine in contrast. The warm rose tones will beautifully complement the green-to-purple hues often seen in the wax, bringing the piece fully to life.

The Full Set Vision

Worn together, the engagement ring and companion create a cohesive woodland-inspired bridal set. Each element supports the other, much like branches and leaves in nature. This design is ideal for those seeking something unique, meaningful, and free from traditional prong-heavy settings.

I’ll share casting updates, the finished metal version, and more process photos as this piece moves forward. Custom options are available—reach out if you’d like your own variation with different stones or details.

— Dawn

Oakwood Twig Collection Sketch Designs

Oakwood Twig Collection Sketch Designs

The Oakwood Twig Collection

The Oakwood Twig Collection begins here—where nature wraps, lifts, and offers each piece like a gift.

You don’t design in straight lines—and this collection doesn’t either.

It grew the same way branches do—naturally, without force, each curve finding its place. Every twig wraps with intention, every leaf settles where it belongs, and every detail is built to feel like it was always meant to be there.

These pieces aren’t just inspired by nature…
They’re guided by it.

---

Where It Began

The rings are where this collection first took root.

Twigs wrap around the band like growing branches, forming structure without feeling rigid. Oak leaves layer gently into the design, creating a sense of protection and movement at the same time.

Crafted in sterling silver with 14K rose gold leaves, finished with soft oxidation in the recesses and a gentle polish, these pieces balance contrast and warmth in a way that feels natural and effortless.

---

The Collection Grows

From there, the collection began to expand.

A sterling silver pendant lifts and presents a moss agate stone, wrapped in flowing twig forms and accented with oak leaves—never held tightly, always offered.

The earrings carry that same movement—light, organic, and alive—formed from oxidized sterling silver branches with oak leaves and acorns that feel as if they’ve grown into place.

---

A Natural Pairing

The collection also moves into more personal pieces.

A solitaire engagement ring with a 1ct round diamond pairs with a coordinating oak leaf band, bringing structure and symbolism together. The design allows the stone to feel lifted and presented, while the band continues the language of natural growth.

---

Still Growing

This collection is not finished—and it’s not meant to be.

Some pieces will remain simple and quiet. Others will grow more detailed and layered. But every design will follow the same path—guided by nature, shaped with intention, and created to be felt as much as seen.

These pieces already exist—just not in metal yet.
They’ve taken shape here first.

And I can’t wait to show you what they become.

The Final Touch — Preparing for Casting

The final carving before casting
—creating depth for shadow, contrast, and natural texture.

 The Final Touch — Preparing for Casting

Before this piece leaves my hands and becomes metal, there is one final step.

Each twig is carefully carved to create depth—not just for form, but for what comes next.

Once cast, oxidation will settle into these grooves, bringing out contrast, shadow, and texture… like bark shaped over time.

This is where the piece begins to take on its final character.

Not added later—but built in from the very beginning.

From here, it moves from wax to metal…

from idea to heirloom.

The final step

Forest Design Collection: The Offering — A Wedding Set Grown, Not Made.

Forest Design Collection

An Offering
Delicate twigs rise and gently cradle the diamond—lifting it like a quiet offering.

Held by Nature

Delicate twigs rise and gently cradle the diamond—lifting it like a quiet offering.

A symbol of love grown over time, gathered from the earth, and given as a gift to the bride-to-be.

Nature, centered.

Forest Wedding Set — Where Love Grows Naturally

There is something deeply personal about a ring that feels as if it grew, rather than was made.

This Forest Wedding Set was designed to follow the natural movement of vines—organic, flowing, and alive. Each curve wraps gently around the stone, holding it not with force, but with intention… as if nature itself reached up and cradled it.

At the center sits an 8mm x 6mm oval stone, available in:

Natural Diamond
Moissanite
Lab-Grown Diamond
Calibrated Gemstones

The setting allows light to move freely through the stone while the sculpted branches embrace it from all sides, creating both strength and softness in balance.

The Wedding Band — A Living Extension

The matching band is not an afterthought—it is part of the same story.

Designed to nest naturally beneath the engagement ring, it mirrors the organic lines while adding subtle detail. This band can be customized with:

One or two small diamonds or gemstones of your choice

Each addition is intentionally placed—never perfectly symmetrical—because nature doesn’t repeat itself, and neither should love.

Made to Order

Each piece is individually cast and finished in your choice of:

14k Gold (Yellow, White, or Rose)18k Gold (Yellow, White, or Rose)

Available as:

Solitaire Ring

Wedding Band

Full Wedding Set

Pieces may be purchased together or separately.

Designed to grow together.

A Philosophy in Metal

This design follows my core belief: jewelry should carry emotion.

Every vine, every curve, every placement is guided by natural growth—so that when someone wears it, they don’t just see a ring… they feel it.

Because love, like nature, is not perfect—it’s alive.

The Wedding Band

This piece is currently in its wax stage, preparing for casting—the moment where idea becomes heirloom.