Bio

Seattle Jewelry Artist Leilani Jensen

Born in New York City to an abstract painter father and a mother with a severe case of wanderlust, I had a nomadic and bohemian upbringing marked by parental searches for spiritual fulfillment. 
 

I went to 10 schools in 12 years, and lived in many unusual places and situations, such as a tee-pee and several communes.  I filled my time by reading voraciously and covering my walls with drawings of women in elaborately detailed outfits and, of course, jewelry. 

After college in Virginia and much soul searching, I discovered my passion for jewelry making and chose Seattle, Washington, as the place to build my family and my business and put down some long-awaited roots. Mostly self-taught, I quickly developed a large and loyal following, which features unusual and striking color combinations and my innovative handmade glass jewels. My unorthodox childhood made me highly adaptable and resourceful, and I see my family's open-mindedness as the reason I had the courage to explore uncharted territory.

I love to lose myself in the jewelry making process. I see things that inspire my work everywhere I go, from a color combination on a sign to the structure of a garden gate. I’m excited when I see a woman’s individual beauty taken to the next level by the addition of a lovely splash of color, and I strive to make my work simple, clean and wearable enough to appeal to a wide variety of people. I know a design works when there’s an almost audible “click” in my mind, a feeling of rightness that I try never to question.

 I’m fascinated by the endless learning process of working with hot glass, the infinite variety of aesthetic choices that are available to me, and the constant technical challenge of combining glass and metal successfully. I’m currently exploring hand-faceting my glass to further enhance the play of light upon the surfaces. I want to continue to surprise people with the gorgeousness of glass when it is treated as if it is the most precious jewel of all.