PHILOSOPHY

THE SKILLFUL UNION OF MEANING & MATTER

Balia was born out of my passion for craft, beauty, nature, and above all, imagination. The process of creation is magical, intuitive, and intrinsic to humanity. Matter is not dead material; Every atom vibrates with the voice of the universe. Objects have power beyond their perceived form. The items you find here are created with reverence for our shared ancestral history, a love of nature and the other-than-human beings that inhabit it, and admiration of spirit. These are objects that celebrate the mystery of existence and our place in it. These are modern talismans whose creation is guided by my animist worldview.

  • Shea Bartel, BALIA Jewelry

A black and white photo of a smiling person with short hair in front of a patterned background.

MATERIALS & FINISHING

Items available for purchase are cast in yellow brass and sterling silver. Other materials such as gold and platinum are available for special order - reach out via the Contact Form to inquire for pricing and availability.

All pieces are finished by hand - this allows for a high level of customization in the finish of the metal. See images to the right for examples of different finishes. All jump rings are closed with lead-free solder to increase longevity.

I immensely enjoy the process of finishing items and applying various patinas - each result is unique. If you have something in mind, or have questions please reach out!

Two pairs of traditional carved masks and a small ceremonial knife on a black surface.

Yellow brass finish examples from left to right:

  1. Lightly polished, no patina

  2. No polish, light patina

  3. Heavy polish, heavy patina

Three metal leaf-shaped charms with holes and raised bump details, arranged in a row on a dark surface. The charms are silver, turquoise, and silver from left to right.

Various finish examples from left to right:

  1. Yellow brass, heavy polish, no patina

  2. Yellow brass, light polish, heavy patina

  3. Sterling silver, Heavy polish, heavy patina

METHOD

Balia Jewelry is designed & sculpted using both traditional techniques, as well as cutting-edge virtual reality technology and 3D printing. Each item is hand-finished using a variety of weathering, antiquing, and polishing techniques to create one-of-a-kind surface colors and textures. Items are crafted and assembled with attention and care in my Brooklyn studio space. Rings are soldered to increase longevity.

polymerclay example.jpg

Prototype sculpting using polymer clay

Virtual Reality Scultping - Oculus.jpg

Sculpting a pendant in virtual reality

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

In an age where greed and hyper-consumption are altering the face of the planet in drastic ways, the act of creating and selling a product must not be considered lightly. To this end BALIA has taken the following steps:

  • For every item purchased from BALIA, a tree will be planted. Many thanks go out to the amazing non-profit onetreeplanted.org, which makes this possible.

  • Items are cast in recycled, sustainably sourced metals.

“The ecological devastation of our interior worlds precedes that of the natural world”
— Poet & Herbalist Stephen Buhner

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