Artist Profile: Megan Austin

Sculpting Gold and Other Precious Minerals

By Hannah Olson

From wedding coordinator to police officer, Megan Austin held a surprising variety of jobs before discovering her passion for jewelry design. As a student, she majored in computer graphics. Now, she spends 11 months out of the year crafting unique jewelry pieces and traveling to art shows across the United States.

During her interview, Austin was wearing a pendant she made with her childrens birthstones set in silver. Each of the oblong, cabochon stones in the pendant were presented close to their natural shape. Unlike most commercial jewelers who order gems cut to standard fittings, Austin crafts her jewelry around the unique shape of each stone to preserve their beauty and value.

Of the many varieties of gemstones Austin cuts and polishes, her expertise is ammolite, larimar, turquoise and, her all-time favorite, opal. Austins love for polishing stones began in childhood, but she did not seriously consider a career as a juried artist until she set up her first display in 2010 at the Woodstock Market. Since then, she has filled her calendar with a range of juried and non-juried shows as far south as Florida and as far north as New York.

Austins jewelry-making process is surprisingly eco-friendly. She personally retrieves her gemstones from mines in Georgia and North Carolina. She is also a certified precious metal clay (PMC) instructor. Austin uses silver and gold PMC in her jewelry settings. She explains how scientists at Mitsubishi developed a way to combine noble metals from recycled computer components with organic clay to create the malleable product known as PMC. The easily sculpted PMC makes it possible for artists to craft detailed silver and gold settings for pendants, necklaces, bracelets, and other fine pieces. Once sculpted, the PMC is dried then fired in a kiln, which burns out the clay and leaves a pure gold or silver product.

Austin enjoys her private collection of necklaces, including her childrens birthstones, and often wears her treasured pieces while on show tour. Her hand-sculpted mermaid pendant is especially popular among patrons who frequently request copies of the mythical sea creature. Austin was overjoyed to demonstrate how she forms a mermaid from PMC. The commissioned piece she was working on featured a dolphin and mermaid embracing the top and bottom of a large pearl.

The application process for a juried art show is intense, and the submissions are an ongoing process for Austin. For every show I get into, she said, Ive applied to three that I didnt get into.

Austin is at shows three to four weekends out of every month throughout the year. While her production schedule can be demanding, Austin enjoys the broad base of patronage and peer networking opportunities that nationwide art shows offer.

For more information about Austins work, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit MDJewelryDesign.com.