About

Until the late 1980’s the Jewelry Institute of America (JIA) operated a special trade school in Providence, Rhode Island. It was created to teach designers and craftsmen the technical aspects of the jewelry trade. The institute attracted a young artist named Liz Norkus after attending art school at Alfred University. The specific skills she acquired at the JIA, her years of working as a modelmaker in the jewelry industry, and her strong sense of design have enabled her to create the distinctive lines of jewelry for which she has become known for.

While Liz’s success and attitude toward her craft were honed at school and through her work experience, the sensibility she brings to her work was shaped by the environment in which she was raised. Growing up on Long Island, New York where her father a manufacturer of watch crystals; her mother a classically trained pianist, nurtured their children’s creativity while stressing hard work and attention to detail. The music and the coastal landscape are evident in Liz’s jewelry designs – the feeling for rhythmic interval, the recurring themes in variations, and the use of organic form inspired by plant and sea life.

In a world focused on constant stimulation, Liz strives for clarity and simplicity of line and form, a place for the eyes, and ultimately a place for the spirit to rest. Her work can be found in contemporary fine craft galleries, and at the American Craft Council trade and retail shows.