Maka Sio'ata, Tongatapu
About the Artist
I am a Vermont-based jeweler, inspired by the raw beauty of nature and the unpredictability of molten metal. My travels across the world have deepened my understanding of form, impermanence, and the delicate balance between chaos and structure. These experiences have shaped my artistic vision, reinforcing a fundamental truth of nature - that no two forms are ever truly identical, each shaped by the endless interplay of chance and time. My jewelry is a reflection of the infinite diversity and individuality of our world--its landscapes, cultures, and the ever-shifting forms that shape them. Through experimental casting, I embrace spontaneity, creating truly unrepeatable forms, each piece a small, wearable fragment of nature's infinite complexity.
Casting Organic Form
My jewelry is a study of the beauty of imperfection and the fluidity of form, shaped through a casting process that embraces chance and material interaction.
I work with molten silver and bronze, allowing them to take form within natural textures, capturing negative space and solidifying fleeting moments into metal. These raw, sculptural elements are then refined and composed with geometric forms, hand-fabricated metalwork, and precisely placed stones. The gemstones serve as a counterpoint—formed over millennia with unparalleled precision, their crystalline structures contrast with the rapid, unpredictable motion of molten metal, enhancing the dialogue between organic fluidity and intentional composition.
Each piece is inherently one of a kind, shaped entirely by a process that mirrors fractal imperfection and the endlessly unique fundamental form of nature. This interplay of chaos and order ensures that every piece holds its own distinct presence—a sculptural fragment of nature’s infinite variation, frozen in metal.
