The designer demonstrates the value of having an anvil half your size.

Having shown us her skills on the dyeing and weaving fronts, Erin Considine’s upping the ante and breaking out the saws and anvils: The tremendously talented jewelry designer dreams up and models each of the ornate brass pieces that she uses to add a bit of toughness to her soft, fibrous pieces. This is how she developed the geometric component that features prominently on the very awesome necklace she made just for us.

Want to check out the finished product? Click here to see—and buy—the soft-but-structural edition Erin created exclusively for Of a Kind.


“When I made this element, I was going through a bunch of art-deco architecture books and came up with this shape. From there, I drew it out and glued it to a piece of metal—brass with a low copper component. Then I sawed it out and filed the edges. I like rounded edges that are a little distressed looking—not too precise. I guess I’m kind of an unconventional jeweler in that way.”


“I’ve carried this anvil to eight different apartments—this 55-pound anvil. To get this moonscape texture, I hammered out the brass piece on the crappiest part. The curved shape just naturally happens when you’re hammering it on one side.”


“I wanted it to be a little thicker, so I added a layer of wax to it. Then I sent it to my caster in the city to create a mold for me and make 20 pieces. I use recycled brass. I love the color of brass—it’s really warm—and sustainably sourced materials are a huge part of my line.”