A man with glasses and a patterned shirt sitting at a desk, sketching jewelry designs in an open notebook. On the desk are sketches of jewelry, scattered stones, a ruler, and various jewelry pieces.

Chris Davies
B. 1988
Beverly Hills, California

Studio: Hudson, NY

Chris Davies is a designer who treats fine jewellery as wearable sculpture and draped art. Trained traditionally but driven by reinvention, pioneering a technique called woven granulation; hand-weaving nets of gold and gemstone granules that move like fabric and catch light like lace.

His pieces are crafted in small editions in his Hudson atelier, drawing from dressmaking, antiquity, and architectural balance. Collected by those who see jewellery as art, his work appears in institutions like the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, a relentless celebration of craft, body, story, and light.

GET TO KNOW CHRIS…

What led you into your jewelry practice?

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

How do you keep yourself engaged with your practice?

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

How would you describe your creative process?

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

What are you currently learning/reading/listening to?

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

How do you continue to push your design perspective?

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

What is a piece of advice you’d give to a developing artist?

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

IMPORTANT WORKS

A necklace with alternating large round aquamarine beads and smaller spherical beads with turquoise and pearl accents, featuring a toggle clasp.
Pink and white beaded jewelry set including a necklace and earrings with round beads and floral clusters.
Colorful beaded earrings with floral and geometric patterns, featuring gold, purple, blue, green, brown, and cream beads, and dangling strands of orange and brown beads.
A pink and white beaded bracelet on a white background.

BIO

Step into the charming brick façade of the Hudson atelier of Chris Davies and you may find the designer draping a new necklace on a dressmaker’s form. He doesn’t care about the measurement of inches, but rather considers the silhouette and “the way a piece falls against the body,”. He says, “I’m interested in how a piece moves with the wearer.” With a background in both dressmaking and the study of ancient civilizations, Davies came to jewelry with a solid understanding of the historical importance of the artform and a desire to translate the couturier’s bold exploration of technique and form into the symbolic power of the jewel. 

The jewelry designed by Davies exhibits a rare fluidity and thoughtful use of color. He may spend months perfectly matching stones or pearls to have the right elements at hand to realize his designs. With the eye of a couturier, he looks not only at the hue and

saturation of the metals and gems, but also the subtle patterning and reflectivity of his materials. Davies draws from the exacting traditions of Charles James, Halston, and Christian Dior, as much as from the way Suzanne Belperron used color and hardstone. His jewelry considers the play of light, flexibility, and color as essential elements of a beautiful and wearable creation.

Davies developed a unique technique called “woven granulation.” The technique began as a reimagining of classical granulation, but quickly grew to incorporate more complex aesthetic ideas from lace making and basketry. These jewels take the form of nets of gold and gemstone granules intricately woven and draped around larger gemstone forms encouraging a play of light and movement. They are supple and sensual to the touch; more akin to fabric than traditional jewelry.

A demi-parure comprised of a festoon-style necklace and earrings with woven granulation is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Curator Emily Stoehrer said, "Davies’ work has tremendous presence. His innovative use of materials and bold designs combine to make jewelry that is striking." Davies creates a limited number of handmade fine jewelry pieces each year. They are highly sought after jeweled expressions of the haute couture tradition. 

CAREER HIGLIGHTS

A black, beaded necklace shaped like Superman's logo on a white background.

2025

  • The Aesthetic Gallery

  • The Other Gallery

  • Gallery One

2024

  • The Aesthetic Gallery

  • The Other Gallery

  • Gallery One

2023

  • The Aesthetic Gallery

  • The Other Gallery

  • Gallery One