Curating the Lasting Legacy of Alexandra Watkins

Artist list

Alexandra Watkins

Alexandra Watkins may be best known as a master metalsmith, and from 1982 to 2014, the artist-led the renowned Atelier Janiyé in Boston, Massachusetts, with her jewelry partner, Nancy Michel. Since 2014, hers and Michel’s works of art have been in the exclusive care of Patina. A selection of Watkins’ works also resides in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, in the Art of the Americas Wing.

Amongst Watkins’ oeuvre of works, a variety of materials are presented in open and abstract compositions. Often, fiery gemstones are placed in custom gold settings where soft, yet profound edges and shapes coalesce into a stately fixation once worn. Her jewels are at once abstract and unpredictable, while elegant and refined. Across Allison’s curation, a vibrant variety of stones including carved citrine, tourmaline, red and black coral, and Tahitian pearl are mixed within abstract webs of textured gold with charismatic surfaces that forever delight.