“It’s not just a piece of metal. It’s a history with a story.”

Brittany Swider, or Lady Forge, is a silver lovin’ treasure hunter with a fondness for story-filled objects. Her work is full of unusual, forgotten treasures, riddled with little dings, faded monograms, and lots of delightful patina; all whispering of a long life lived in another age. Life's a rough adventure filled with wonderful little stories, and she likes her work to reflect that. She loves hunting for treasures and the creative process of using those treasures to tell a story. It all started in 2012 when Brittany was a silver-worker for a small jewelry company in Tulsa, OK while also dealing oddities and antiques on the side. She had dabbled in silver work and jewelry-making for a few years prior but had not committed to a creative journey thus far. She was fortunate enough to have a co-worker who was a fellow creative, and she encouraged Brittany to pursue her own work. That’s when the collision happened between her love for both silver working and antiques, and Lady Forge was born. The name is a little head-nod to her silver working, while also having a deeper meaning. While Brittany was the lady forging (or creating) the pieces, she was also the lady being forged in the process; discovering a little more of who she was and what she was capable of with each piece she created. The name is dear to Brittany as Lady Forge has been such a big part of her life in every season since 2012.

Over the years, Lady Forge Jewelry has morphed but her work is a true product of her creative process: telling stories with revived objects and natural elements. Spoon rings have been popular for more than a century, but Brittany love that she can always spot one of her own pieces. She puts a little of herself into every Lady Forge creation, and it shows.

Today, Brittany lives in Michigan with her wonderful family and spends her days playing with spoons and making wearable stories.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS & TAKEAWAYS:

  • Telling stories through her jewelry.
  • Her advice to other resellers: relax and be your genuine self!
  • How she creates her one-of-a-kind sterling silver jewelry from vintage spoons.
  • How she taught herself silver smithing and metal working.
  • How she finds her items in thrift stores.
  • How she creates her TikTok videos where she demonstrates how she crafts her jewelry.
  • How she does the research behind the patterns on the sterling silver spoons she works with.