My Story
Creating jewelry has been a lifelong passion
A passion that began in 1983, during a three-year goldsmith apprenticeship under a master goldsmith near Frankfurt, Germany.
My journey brought me to California, where I worked for a custom goldsmith in the City of Orange, CA, for 14 years, adding many more bench and stone setting skills to my repertoire of techniques.
In 1999, I embarked on my own business, designing and creating fine jewelry (dorothee.com) and selling the work at juried fine art festivals throughout the country.
A dream came true in 2003; I became a proud citizen of the United States.
Materials and Technique
To give our clients the best wearability possible, I handcraft each piece out of a silver called Argentium Silver. It is a sustainably produced newer brighter-white silver alloy. Hypoallergenic and more tarnish-resistant, it can be heat-treated to increase hardness.
Conflict-free, sustainably produced, lab-grown diamonds accent my pieces.
Keum-Boo is a centuries-old Korean gilding technique, which allows me to adhere 24K gold foil to silver with only the help of heat and pressure. (You can see the process here)
Mission
With this ancient Keum-Boo technique, I create contemporary jewelry pieces that have a fun, lighthearted, everyday but tailored appeal.
My aim is to bring a smile to anyone's face who wears them.
Dorothee
Uncertain about the future of fine art shows in 2020 for my gold jewelry, I decided to revisit a technique (Keum-Boo) learned in my apprenticeship, create a new line of silver jewelry and offer it online.
We are open to inquiries, questions, or to discuss custom orders. Please use the form below or call: 949.204.0429