Val Damon Jewelry



Val Damon Jewelry

About The Artist

Val Damon • Brooklyn, NY
Jewelry • WHOLESALE AVAILABLE

I create jewelry from sterling silver and various pigmented concrete mixes using sand and stone dust from around the world. Silver is forged, fabricated and embellished with rich texture prior to the addition of concrete. Beach sand creates concrete talismans imbued with the magic and memory of place while stone dust creates a smooth stucco surface for one of a kind oil painting and gilding. Meteorites, fossils and stones complete the work.



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Q&A with the Artist

Tell us how your work is made.

My work is hand-fabricated in my Brooklyn studio from start to finish. Once the metalwork is complete I create concrete from white Portland cement and various aggregates such as beach sand and marble dust. This is pigmented with naturally occurring, non-toxic, European pigments. Sometimes the concrete is gilded or painted to create a stucco veneziano. These works are sealed with a hard wax finish so that they can be worn and enjoyed for many years.


What makes you passionate about the medium you work with?

I descend from sailors and iron workers on both sides of my family tree so sitting behind a torch is every bit as meaningful to me as picking up sand from a seashore. Of all the sailors and iron workers on both sides of my family tree my father was the one that pulled those realities together by becoming an underwater welder. I am proud to be continuing these family traditions in my craft.

What is something unique about you or your practice?

My commitment to marine sustainability is based in my roots. My grandmother emigrated from Newfoundland, CA to Brooklyn, NY with her parents because her father refused to captain his whaling ship illegally. She and my grandfather (who was also a sailor) lived in the Florida Keys in the early 70s and it was there I learned how precious every part of our ecosystem truly is. This experience was juxtaposed by my experiences growing up within walking distance of the beaches of Brooklyn, NY. My love of the shore never waned as I grew and my beach sand concrete became a symbol of the urban beaches where I was raised. For this reason no marine life is ever killed or poached for my work and I only ever take what I need.