Jim Norton Jewelry

My specialty is Kumboo, which is a Korean technique that involves applying 24k gold foil to a fine silver surface. This is done on a hot plate. The two, almost pure, metals bond together during the heating process and, while heated, I burnish the gold foil onto the silver surface to make the bond permanent. After bonding is complete, I texture and embellish the pieces and then chemically patina them which gives them the coloration that you see. The colors vary according to the length of time of immersion and temperature of the liquid patina solution.   I fabricate the work you see in my home studio.  I work with sterling silver and gold fill metal in addition to the Kumboo.

Jim Norton has a BA from the University of the South with an emphasis in printmaking. In 1976 he came to the University of Georgia to pursue an MFA. Finally in 1998, Norton renewed his interest in metalwork by attending the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown NC. After learning to enamel on simple, pre-cut shapes, he decided to explore fabricating his own designs on which to enamel. This exploration led him to enrollment in the University of Georgia Lamar Dodd School of Art MFA program in Jewelry and Metalwork. He received his MFA in 2007 and now sells his jewelry throughout the Southeast at arts and crafts festivals as well as galleries.

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