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Nearly all of my work is inspired by the natural world and the vibrant culture of Appalachia. As a hobby botanist, I spend much of my free time roaming the hills and hollers of our region with my young son in search of our native wildflowers. My favorites include our native orchids, hence the name of my studio, and our endemic species. I also love the folktales, lore and superstitions of Appalachia and often incorporate symbology into my pieces. I truly believe my little slice of the world is the best place one could ever spend a lifetime growing and exploring. Our mountains are ancient and enchanting, and my greatest joy is honoring them and their abundance of mystery, beauty, and power. May you feel each of those things when you wear a piece of my jewelry.
Amanda Lee is a Southwest Virginia native and self-taught metalsmith. She experiments with a few mediums including cyanotype printing and Appalachian style ribbed basketry, but jewelry has always been a constant in her life. She dabbled in lampworking for a brief period before focusing on resin for several years. During that time, Amanda's work was published in national publications including Jewelry Affaire and GreenCraft Magazines, and was also featured in Virginia Living. In late 2018, Amanda became interested in metalworking and in the spring of 2019, connected with a fellow metalsmith in Kentucky. Amanda took an overnight trip to learn the basics of metalsmithing in an 8-hour class in her instructor's living room! After that, she was hooked. Amanda believes her jeweler's saw and torch are extensions of her both her heart and imagination.