All About Art with Jewelry Artist Danielle Miller-Gilliam
Danielle Miller-Gilliam grew up in a steel mill town in the Appalachian Mountains, surrounded by green, rolling hills juxtaposed by bridges, railroads and industry.
This greatly affected her design sensibility and is still reflected in her work today through architectural, geometric forms alongside stylized natural influences.
Danielle discovered her passion for metals while making a large scale welded steel sculpture in high school. Metal + Hammer + Fire = LOVE!
She attended art college in Philadelphia, intending to concentrate in sculpture but became entranced by jewelry making.
“After all, jewelry is small-body sculpture, right?” she says.
Since then, Danielle has spent almost 30 years mastering her skills and maintaining a vibrant studio jewelry business.
She and her husband, Ben Gilliam, moved to Greenville in 2001 when Ben began teaching metal-smithing at the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities.
Danielle’s current body of work is inspired by her garden as well as geology and topographic maps. She create peaks and valleys hand forged in sterling and gold with bold gem accents. Leaves, petals and vines made in sterling and gold are stripped down to their basic geometric forms and combined with pearls and diamonds.
The resulting modern designs are both feminine and dramatic.
In 2019, she and fellow Greenville jewelry artist, Katie Poterala, opened MAKE MADE Jewelry. The downtown Greenville storefront is a jewelry boutique and studio offering distinctive one-of-a-kind pieces, alternative engagement and bridal jewelry, custom design, and jewelry making classes, including Danielle’s popular “Make Your Own Wedding Rings” workshops.
Danielle and Katie’s newest venture was the “Greenville Designer Jewelry Show.” An annual two-day event featuring select contemporary jewelry designers from North and South Carolina was held at the Greenville Center for Creative Arts.
www.daniellemillerjewelry.com IG @daniellemillerjewelry www.makemadejewelry.com IG @makemadejewelry
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: All About Art with Jewelry Artist Danielle Miller-Gilliam
