VERSO Jewelry by Melanie Brauner

Paper jewelry never fails to get my attention... then take it to the next level by combining abaca paper pulp with silver, copper, and pearls as Melanie Brauner does via her brand new line called VERSO Jewelry, and there's no way I wouldn't instantly plan to showcase it here. So delicate, so unusual... I just had to learn more about the artist and her process.

Cocoon Necklace - dip-cast abaca paper with copper beads and freshwater pearls on a sterling silver chain

Melanie creates the kind of jewelry that causes the person you're chatting with to lean in for a closer look. Sculptural in form, it appears as light as air.

Riverbend Necklace - dip-cast abaca paper and copper pendant on a sterling silver chain

To make each piece, she dips a wire form in abaca paper fibers that are suspended in water. The fibers cling to the wire and shrink as they dry. Repeated dippings cause the formation of a tight paper skin.

Pistil Earrings - handmade dip-cast abaca paper and brass bells, freshwater pearls, sterling silver

Melanie lives in Seattle and in addition to being an experienced papermaker and metalsmith, is also a bookbinder and letterpress printer. Just this week she attended Codex in Richmond, California as a representative of Paper Hammer, a letterpress and bookbinding shop.

Web Necklace - brass pendant with dip-cast abaca paper on a sterling silver chain

Codex, a book fair and symposium, sounds like a handmade book lover's dream come true. Melanie, whose job is with the handmade, custom publishing side of Paper Hammer's business, told me she was there selling books that the company creates in collaboration with artists, as well as searching for new artists who want to work with Paper Hammer to create books.