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One-of-a-Kind Creations

There is no shortage of talent along the shoreline for a one-of-a-kind look when it comes to your jewelry and accessories. Unique, locally made pieces can be found at many shops throughout the area created by artists like Nick "Dedo" DeDominicis, Ann Lightfoot, and Kelley Solomon. While each artist took a different path in finding their calling in creating jewelry, each of them enjoy being able to create pieces that their customers enjoy.

Nick DeDominicis

Available locally at Wave Gallery (New Haven) and Creations (Madison)

www.nickdedo.com

Growing up in Old Saybrook, Nick DeDominicis always enjoyed art, taking art classes throughout his time at Old Saybrook High School and then at Southern Connecticut State University.

"I ended up taking a sculpture class and found out my family from Italy were sculptors – it was the family trade," says DeDominicis, who switched his major to sculpture, which required taking a jewelry class. "I had never worked on a small scale, and I instantly fell in love with the intricacy."

DeDominicis began collecting tools for his at-home jewelry studio, continuing to make jewelry on his own after his jewelry class ended. He has since graduated, creating his own business, Nick DeDo.

"My goal is to blur the lines between sculpture and fine jewelry, creating small-scale sculptures you can wear," says DeDominicis, who also enjoys motorcycles and skiing. "The more three-dimensional look gives people something that's not already out there."

All of DeDominicis's jewelry is designed and created from start to finish in his home studio in Old Saybrook, using .925 sterling silver and solid 14 karat gold. He not only enjoys making unique pieces, but the process of craftsmanship, like that of his ancestors in Italy.

"My hands make everything and with my tools and equipment, I can bring my designs to life," says DeDominicis. "I use all classic craftsmanship, old school like it was done by the masters, and I take a lot of pride in that.

"I love making jewelry because it's precious and it's something someone can cherish and enjoy forever," says DeDominicis. "Jewelry tells a lot about a person. It's a very personal statement and that's one of the reasons I thrive on making it."

Ann Lightfoot

Available locally at LuLu's (Guilford), Idiom (New Haven), and Lori Warner Gallery (Chester)

www.annlightfoot.com

Even today, Ann Lightfoot doesn't consider herself a jeweler. When she was young, she never wore jewelry, but found herself collecting clothes and rearranging items to redesign the style.

Lightfoot worked in the non-profit field before she had children – she has two sons in college and 11-year-old twin girls　– but when she and her family moved back to Connecticut from California, she refocused her rearranging efforts onto jewelry and accessories.

"It just happened that I had a really good friend who had stores in Guilford and Massachusetts, and she started carrying a few of my pieces and it took off from there," says Lightfoot, who took a few art classes at Rhode Island School of Design to enhance her skills. "It makes me happy when people enjoy a piece, but it's not about me, it's about them enjoying it."

Much of Lightfoot's work is "materials driven," as she works mostly with stones, but has been mixing in more textiles into her pieces. One of her earliest successes came when her father brought her mother a necklace from Nepal.

"It was a great necklace, but it was an awkward length and had a bright orange stone in the middle," says Lightfoot, who lives in Lyme. "I adjusted the length and replaced the stone and realized you could make anything work."

When designing her pieces, many of her necklaces are adjustable, which sets her collections apart from other jewelry. She has found that having a piece be adjustable proves beneficial for most people.

"I like the adjustable ties because they can work with any outfit or body," says Lightfoot. "I've always needed things to be just a little shorter or a little longer so them being adjustable makes such a difference because you can make them work.

"My pieces tend to be a bit bigger and there are people who might be shy to try them, but when they do, it's like putting on high-heeled boots for the first time and realizing, 'I can pull this off'," adds Lightfoot.

Kelley Solomon

Available locally at Jennie Fresa Beauty　(Madison), Blackkat Leather (Chester), Salt (Mystic), and The White Dress by the Shore (Clinton)

www.aquinnahjewelry.com

Since she was a little girl vacationing on Martha's Vineyard, Kelley Solomon remembers spending hours in the local bead shop and creating jewelry. She carried her love of design through her college career, studying fashion design at Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science (now Philadelphia University) before finishing school at Marist College with a focus on photography and advertising design.

After graduating, she moved to Martha's Vineyard for a year where she founded KDesign, her first jewelry company that was featured at local clothing boutiques. She moved back to Connecticut and worked as a production manager and earring designer for Amy Leiner in Madison.

Solomon, who now lives in Madison, was soon on the receiving end of a piece of jewelry when she got engaged and shopping for her wedding gown led to her next career.

"I was shopping for my wedding gown at a beautiful, local boutique, The White Dress by the Shore, and I fell in love with not only the boutique but the owner Beth Chapman and all of the dreamy wedding couture," says Solomon, who was soon hired as a bridal stylist.

Over the years, she was asked to create custom jewelry for many of the brides and their families, which led to the creation of Aquinnah Jewelry. Solomon's bridal collection – with pieces for brides, bridesmaids, mothers of the bride and groom, and flower girls – was featured at The White Dress by the Shore.

"Soon after I started making more ready to wear jewelry that I sold next door at Jennie Fresa Beauty [now located in Madison]," says Solomon. "It was so much fun, plus I learned so much about being a woman in business　from Beth Chapman and Jennie Fresa. They both inspired me so much and continue to be my mentors."

Even now, Solomon continues to draw inspiration from her time on Martha's Vineyard, as well as art, people, architecture, fellow designers, and her family. Outside of creating jewelry, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, eating out, being outdoors, and being creative with her children.

"I love working with my hands, being creative, and making other people happy with my art," says Solomon. "My work is simple and minimal, but at the same time very modern and classic, rarely trendy. 　My work has a broad range of styles from bridal and special occasion to everyday, ready to wear designs. There is something for everyone."