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Country Field
Sue Leppla Portraits-4.jpg

About Sue

Artist - Designer - Musician

I'm a lifelong artist, designer, and musician. After living in Aspen, Colorado, for over 30 years, a significant life event became the catalyst for a new life in Vermont. Inspired by nature and Colorado's organic landscapes and my new home in Vermont, I set out to transcribe these elements of life and change into these designs. I make each piece, one at a time, by hand.  I call it "Sue's Better Life."

I centered my line around a guitar pick pendant. I have seen others attempt this, but I didn't think they were successful. The pick itself wasn't heavy enough in those designs and didn't hang elegantly from the neck. I designed my answer to this problem by combining the actual plastic guitar pick, putting it between two pieces of sterling silver, and cold connecting the pieces using handmade silver rivets. The front plates have hand-cut designs that are set off by the black pick revealed beneath. The pendant's backplate is soldered to a sterling silver tubing and strung through with a naturally dyed piece of leather cord. The handmade sterling silver "sliders" adjust easily to slide the whole necklace over your head and hang at any length you desire. 

The leather bracelets carry the same idea as the pendants. They are hand-cut through the sterling silver plate to expose the rich dark brown leather below and pounded to fit the wrist's curve. The rivets are handmade sterling silver, set atop rich dark brown leather. Finally, they are custom sized to your wrist and held with a simple post and hole closer. The curve and stiffness of the metal, combined with the softness and comfort of leather, keep the bracelet from spinning on your wrist for effortless wear.

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