Bridge jewelry is so named because it spans the gap between fine & costume jewelry. Bridge jewelry is made of precious metal - usually sterling silver, but also of gold filled and vermeil; the other materials include crystal, glass and gems. Gemstones used in bridge jewelry are semi-precious. That would include any gemstone that is not ruby, emerald, diamond or sapphire.

Examples of semi-precious gemstones in bridge jewelry are aquamarine, opal, garnet, citrine, topaz, amethyst, lapis, onyx, turquoise, malachite, quartz, freshwater pearls - the list goes on and on. Just a word here on the quality of gemstones. A poorly cut, bad specimen of ruby can be worth much less than a excellent specimen of say, aquamarine or turquoise.

This category of jewelry has many names in the market including art jewelry, craft jewelry, indie jewelry, and handmade jewelry. Bridge items are high quality accessories that can be worn every day. Bridge work techniques include, but are not limited to the following: metalsmithing, lampwork, metal clay sculpting, polymer clay sculpting, forging, beadwork, wire wrapping, and casting.

Bridge jewelry by Luis Vallejo