Hali is a jeweler whose favorite thing is the sea. All of her work is inspired by, and in some way, related to the sea.
Hali was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Newtown Square. She received her BFA in Metalsmithing and Jewelry in 2014 from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She never thought that she would be a jewelry maker, let alone a successful business owner at age 27. Hali went into art school as a painting major, but UArts opened her eyes to so many topics in the art world that she never even knew existed. In her sophomore year, she was required to take one craft course. The only focus that fit into her schedule was jewelry making and she became hooked on the process. Says Hali,” I fell in love with the various tools and techniques involved with the making of a single piece. It was very exciting to learn and practice a skill so different than painting and I swiftly changed my major.” She also became a tutor and took extra classes to make up requirements.
After college, as shop supervisor for the jewelry studio, she could access the school’s studio while she built her own inside her father’s shop in West Chester. Her studio is now a part of the MacLaren Kitchen and Bath Showroom and she has a display case and everything! She has her own private studio of about 140 square feet, jam packed with essentials for running her own jewelry business. This year is Hali’s studio’s 5th birthday!
Hali puts countless hours of work into every aspect of her business each week. As every sole proprietor knows, that includes not only creating the product but photographing it, building a web, giving her a social media presence, and bookkeeping. Her work is mainly production oriented in its nature, though she also creates One-Of-A-Kind pieces and custom work, too. Hali uses cast objects from nature or her own carvings to replicate many different pieces. Her smaller series of production work uses unique found objects as gemstones which are finished in hand built settings. She also has an even smaller One-of-a kind collection of pieces that she does not replicate. Her custom work is sometimes related to the ocean theme, but she also loves the challenge of interpreting her customer’s artistic ideas.
Hali’s philosophy is that if you work hard enough at something, it will manifest. She says,”You can’t just sit around and wait for things to fall into your lap. Take every opportunity to learn, grow, and expand that you can get. My favorite teacher once said to me, ‘No matter what challenges or situations you get into in life, they each will offer some value towards your future. Absorb all the information you can when it is presented and it will serve its purpose, tomorrow or in 10 years.’ Never disregard an experience, whether it be good or bad at the time, always be present and determined to reach the realistic goals you’ve set.”
Hali primarily sells her work at local and seaside craft shows within a 3 hour drive from West Chester, Pennsylvania. She has an artist website and an Etsy shop and tries to stay active on social media as much as possible. She exhibits as a member artist at the Wayne Art Center, Chester County Art Association, ArtFusion 19464, and the Rehoboth Art League. She has also been teaching beginner jewelry classes at Wayne Art and ArtFusion19464 since 2018.
Hali has been a member of the HGC for just over 2 years and hopes to apply for Master Artisan this year. She currently serves on the Board as Membership Secretary.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/HKMJewelry
Here you can watch Hali at work!