Born within walking distance of some of the world’s greatest mineral mines in Butte, Montana, minerals, gems, and fossils were a part of everyday life for international award-winning jewelry artist Naomi Sarna.
Sarna attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, where she studied sculpture and the art of fabric draping. After careers as a caterer, psychoanalyst, and medical hypnotist, Sarna went back to her roots. She studied gemstone faceting, which taught her about light reflection in gemstones with Bernd Munsteiner and metalsmithing with Heikki Seppä. Sarna soon turned to the carving of gemstones and creating masterful jewelry showcasing her carvings.
Sarna likes stones that have inclusions. She uses them as a roadmap to guide her as she carves the stone. Central to her work is the play of light and shadow, movement, texture, and the use of bold color combinations. According to Sarna, carving gemstones is a relatively simple process using a stationery arbor. Sarna’s work is inspired by the sensuous curves and flowing curls of the Pre-Raphaelite and Art Nouveau periods.
Sarna has been the recipient of 23 Spectrum Awards in both gem carving and jewelry design. Awarded a Silver Medal for her White Jadeite carving, “Winter Bird, Spring Greens” at the 2019 Zi Gang Bei Jade Exhibition in Suzhou, China, Sarna also received a Bronze Medal for her unique Nephrite Jade carving, “Mossy River” at the same competition in 2017. Her work is represented in the Smithsonian’s Permanent Collection of American Gems.
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