Sandy Baker is an American contemporary jewelry designer who has been making wearable art since 1970. She works in sterling silver and gold with hand-set inlays of red coral, carved mother-of-pearl, abalone and jet. National Jeweler magazine named her one of the top 100 American jewelry designers of the past 30 years.

Which museums hold Sandy Baker’s work?

Her work is included in the Design Archives at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and her “Pyramids” necklace was selected for the permanent collection of the Museum at FIT. Museum stores including the Carnegie Museums, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, the American Jazz Museum and the National Ornamental Metal Museum have sold her work.

Grafilage is a word Sandy Baker coined for the process behind one of her collections: her own artwork on artisanal paper, suspended in resin. Pieces in the Grafilage line are coated with a clear veneer to protect their vibrancy and set in sterling silver with her name along the bezel.

What materials does Sandy Baker use?

Sandy works in 18K gold, 14K gold and sterling silver. The settings carry hand-set organic inlays of carved mother-of-pearl, petrified wood and abalone, all carved and designed by Sandy herself, and some designs also use red coral, jet, bamboo and pearls.

Who has worn Sandy Baker jewelry?

Julia Roberts, Natalie Cole, Michelle Obama and Dr. Maya Angelou have all worn her pieces. Her work has appeared in Vogue, Glamour and Essence, and in trade and news press including Jewelers Circular Keystone, National Jeweler, Modern Jeweler, Crain’s New York and The New York Times.

How long has Sandy Baker been designing jewelry?

Since 1970. She founded Sandy Baker, Inc. that year and ran it from her Brooklyn apartment until 1974, when she moved it to a workroom and showroom in midtown Manhattan. The site carries a year-by-year illustrated chronology of five decades of her work.

About

Sandy Baker is an American contemporary jewelry designer whose sculptural pieces are made to be worn as art. Working from New York, she designs in sterling silver set with organic materials: red coral, mother-of-pearl, abalone and jet. She has been a leading figure in fine jewelry for more than fifty years. National Jeweler magazine named her one of the top 100 American jewelry designers of the past thirty years, her work is held in the Design Archives of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and her “Pyramids” necklace was selected for the permanent collection of the Museum at FIT.

Portrait of Sandy Baker

Sandy Baker has been an artist and tinkerer as far back as she can remember. Beginning in childhood with pencils and crayons, she soon moved on through other media (popsicle sticks, aluminum foil, colored tape, paint and clay) and on to steel dapping tools, hammers, a jewelers bench block, a soldering torch and a flexible shaft. To this day she continues to be passionate about jewelry creation in precious metals.

She founded Sandy Baker, Inc. in 1970 and ran it out of her Brooklyn apartment for its first five years. By 1974 the business had taken over the apartment room by room, and she moved it to a combined workroom and showroom in midtown Manhattan, where six young women cut, soldered, polished and assembled her sterling silver and gold designs. The New York Times reported the move in October 1975; Accent Magazine profiled her the following April. In 1991 she became the first African American member of the American Jewelry Design Council.

Her passion continues in many creative arenas, including designing her own clothing and accessories and adapting household gizmos to suit herself. Baker’s artistry and inspiration in the world of jewelry is acknowledged nationally and internationally.

She is recognized as one of the top 100 American jewelry designers over the past 30 years by National Jeweler magazine. Creating distinctive wearable modern Art, Baker brings together contemporary lines with elegance and imagination. Her designs are always on the cutting edge of both fine and fashion jewelry.

Baker’s work has appeared in fashion magazines including Vogue, Glamour, Essence and trade press such as Jewelers Circular Keystone, National Jeweler, Modern Jeweler and news media Crain’s New York and The New York Times. Julia Roberts, Natalie Cole, Michelle Obama and Dr. Maya Angelou have all worn her pieces.

Award-winning Baker has been honored by the Women’s Jewelry Association and the Jewelers of America for Excellence in Design.
Her work is included in the Design Archives at the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum of the Smithsonian. Museum stores across the country such as those in the Carnegie Museums, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, the American Jazz Museum and the National Ornamental Metal Museum sell her work.

Highly respected for her experience in the industry, Baker has been invited to share her ideas and experiences as a guest speaker at industry events by organizations including the Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America and the Gemological Institute of America. She has also served as a judge for jewelry competitions.

Her work appears in 3 recent books- “500 EARRINGS-New Directions in Contemporary Jewelry” and “BRILLIANCE!-masterpieces of the American Jewelry Design Council” and “500 Gemstone Jewels -A Sparkling Collection of Dazzling Designs.”

Common questions

Which museums hold Sandy Baker’s work?: Her work is included in the Design Archives at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and her “Pyramids” necklace was selected for the permanent collection of the Museum at FIT. Museum stores including the Carnegie Museums, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, the American Jazz Museum and the National Ornamental Metal Museum have sold her work.
What is grafilage?: Grafilage is a word Sandy Baker coined for the process behind one of her collections: her own artwork on artisanal paper, suspended in resin. Pieces in the Grafilage line are coated with a clear veneer to protect their vibrancy and set in sterling silver with her name along the bezel.
What materials does Sandy Baker use?: Sandy works in 18K gold, 14K gold and sterling silver. The settings carry hand-set organic inlays of carved mother-of-pearl, petrified wood and abalone, all carved and designed by Sandy herself, and some designs also use red coral, jet, bamboo and pearls.
Who has worn Sandy Baker jewelry?: Julia Roberts, Natalie Cole, Michelle Obama and Dr. Maya Angelou have all worn her pieces. Her work has appeared in Vogue, Glamour and Essence, and in trade and news press including Jewelers Circular Keystone, National Jeweler, Modern Jeweler, Crain’s New York and The New York Times.
What awards has Sandy Baker received?: She has been honored by the Women’s Jewelry Association and by Jewelers of America for Excellence in Design, and was named one of the top 100 American jewelry designers of the past thirty years by National Jeweler magazine.
How long has Sandy Baker been designing jewelry?: Since 1970. She founded Sandy Baker, Inc. that year and ran it from her Brooklyn apartment until 1974, when she moved it to a workroom and showroom in midtown Manhattan. The site carries a year-by-year illustrated chronology covering five decades of her work.
Who was the first African American member of the American Jewelry Design Council?: Sandy Baker. She became the first African American member invited to join the American Jewelry Design Council in 1991.