when i was young i used to sneak down to the basement and watch my dad melt, hammer, and forge metal. i wasn't supposed to because it was dangerous and might blind me (?), but i did anyway. my dad made custom pieces for the many automobiles he might be building at any given time. he built an early ford v-8 - it was silver with red velvet interior. quite fancy! he also built a number of race cars, dunebuggies, and go-karts for my sister and me.
so, i've always loved the metal arts. i attended a showing by nashville's freshie and zero last year, and was absolutely inspired by the beauty of her hammered metal pieces. the simplicity and delicacy of her jewelry is really incredible. here are some lovely pieces from her etsy shop: