MASTERPIECES by R Masters are limited editions of fine art
jewelry designed and hand crafted by Reta and Richard Masters.
Made of sterling silver, each piece features recessed areas in which
a design is hand painted. The painting, made with transparent
colorants on a textured reflecting silver surface, comes
alive with the interplay between the motion of the wearer and the
available light. All pieces have a makers stamp. Pins,
pendants and collars also have a serial number stamped on
them.
Design of the pieces consists of free form shapes. We
hand make the base from sterling silver sheet and wire, silver
soldered together. Some of the simpler pieces utilize
pre-formed sterling bezel cups. The individually hand painted
areas are then covered with a thick clear lens, which adds depth to
the art work. The remaining areas of silver are given either a
polished of brushed finish.
We choose the colorants used for the painting for their
quality of color, transparency, and light stability, and we mix
them in an epoxy resin custom blended for our process.
The clear covering lens is made from the same resin.
The Sparkler series made in the same general manner and
materials, is simpler in design and
manufacture. They are only intended to provide an
entry level to our work in galleries which also carry our other
work.
We sell wholesale only, although we do a few retail shows to
get customer feedback. For the last few years we have done
only the Fall and Christmas shows at Rhode Island School of
Design (RISD).
As we do all the production ourselves, the number of galleries
we can service is limited. For now we have a few
dealers and are looking for two or three more. We want to grow
only as far as the two of us can supply.
