BIG Sculptural Vintage Sterling Silver Brooch by US Designer Shellie Bender 1980's

Measurements: 3.75"W x 2"H x 1"Thick (9.53cm x 5.08cm x 2.54cm)

Markings: Bender Sterling

Weight: 23.6g

Fantastic large sterling brooch by the iconic USA jewelry designer Shellie Bender. Features a media blasted surface and blackened pebbled interior for a very dramatic effect. Brooch is in excellent condition with little to no wear. Very cool and unique piece of wearable art! Included with purchase is a silver plate converter so it can be worn on a chain as a pendant if preferred.

Shellie Bender is best known for her award winning “WEARable SCULPTURE” described as being "between jewelry and architecture." In her career, she has utilized many materials including gold and silver, wood, natural stone, pearls and rubber. Her current line of jewelry incorporates luscious, vibrant rubber with sterling silver and magnetic closures, all designed by her. Shellie’s conceptual focus is on the interaction between contrasting materials and the fluid movements of the wearer while engaging with her bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and rings. Her pieces are worn by collectors nationwide while her presence in Lawrence KS is best known for her dedication to Art Education and her sculpture “Mobility” located outside the Historic Union Pacific Depot."I think of my work as wearable sculpture, falling somewhere between jewelry and architecture." Her work has been exhibited at many fine galleries in the US, Canada and Japan. A New York native, she moved to Lawrence, KS after completing her masters in design. Shellie Bender's work is included in Lark Books' 500 Necklaces, a global collection of contemporary designers interpreting a timeless form, selected by Marjorie Schick, and 500 Metal Vessels, juried by Fred Fenster.