Objects of Desire

By Tina Cole

Perhaps more so than other arts, jewelry is an art that depends upon and is enriched by context. It is at once something meant to be beautiful in and of itself, while at the same time complementing and underscoring the beauty of the wearer. A piece of jewelry and its owner exist in a sort of symbiotic tension. And this may be the heart of the artistry of jewelry making.

Three artists of the Wood River Valley, Christina Healy, Kary Kjesbo and Barry Peterson each have a unique sense of the way metals and jewels and carvings can best beautify us. 

Christina Healy
Christina Healy has been designing jewelry perhaps longer than many of her clients have been alive: 30 years. This beautiful and creative artist was born in Pocatello, Idaho, and was raised in both Idaho and Southern California. For the most part she is self-taught. 

She did, however, take a silver smithing class when she was working in Washington, D.C., as a press assistant for Sens. Jim McClure and Jake Garn during the Watergate era. Healy started wearing her jewelry to work and rapidly discovered that her “avant garde style with a look of sophistication” was an instant hit with Washington society.

Healy considers color one of the most important elements of her work. She loves using traditional colors and materials in unusual arrangements. Her upbringing in the Greek Orthodox Church gave her a strong sense of adornment and an iconic sense of regalia. She finds metal work cold and too confining for her interests, so she prefers subcontracting the fabrication of her designs. She focuses her energies on the manipulation and arrangement of the beautiful gemstones, pearls and seashells, which have become a trademark of her work. 

Barry Peterson
Barry Peterson was born and raised in Rexburg, Idaho, where his family took an active interest in rock hounding, lapidary and silver smithing. Peterson learned to make jewelry as a young boy and has continued to design and produce pieces since.

In the mid 1960s, Peterson designed and sold a line of peace symbol jewelry. By the 1970s, he was attending a diamond cutting school in Lake Tahoe, and in 1972 he opened a store in Giacobbi Square in Ketchum. Today, he owns and operates Barry Peterson Jewelers, a showcase store on Sun Valley Road opened in the spring of 1991. 

Peterson still keeps a hand in designing his own work and also collaborates with other top jewelry designers represented in his store to craft custom pieces for his market and clientele. 

Peterson works almost exclusively with 18 karat gold and platinum. He designs the models and then incorporates diamonds and precious stones into the final composition. Peterson’s signature piece is the Sun Valley Sun. In 1972, he created the original “Sun Valley Sun” logo jewelry for Bill Janss and later designed the all diamond “Sun” for Sun Valley’s 50th anniversary which contains 50 diamonds. Peterson has paid his dues as a jeweler and artist and has grown and thrived along with the community for over 30 years.

Kary Kjesbo
Kary Kjesbo is another native of Pocatello who grew up “always crafting.” In her 20s, Kjesbo made beaded jewelry which evolved into her “treasure necklaces”: stunning assemblages made from an individual’s most prized gems, lockets and jewelry into a one-of-a-kind, customized heirloom. This was Kjesbo’s first major foray into jewelry design.

When her son, Ethan, was born six years ago, Kjesbo started stringing pearls. The response to her work was overwhelmingly positive, and, in 1999, she won Best of Show in Jewelry at the prestigious Sun Valley Arts and Crafts Festival. Kjesbo was also a participant in the recent Ketchum Arts Festival where she introduced several new ideas. 

Although Kjesbo feels her work should always be growing and changing, pearls will remain a constant focal point of her line. Currently, she is branching out using more gemstones and 18 and 22 karat gold. This year she will be incorporating more vintage lockets and watches into contemporary works with antique accents. 

Part of the fun of jewelry making, Kjesbo said, is to match a specific piece of jewelry to an individual client. •