CREATE

The unique properties of the silver designs with its rough, unfinished surfaces hammered into delicate and intricate shapes, became a signature for excellence in Caribbean jewelry. “The imperfections make the pieces perfect.” Pieces are crafted entirely by hand using simple, basic tools of the trade and one may take months to complete. This means mass production is not an option for the Atelier Doré line. “We want to expand,” Uiterloo reveals, “but we cannot lose the integrity of what we do.” Yet the designer admits that mass production is exactly what buyer’s demand, presenting an ongoing dilemma. Uiterloo is no stranger to predicaments in her life and faces all challenges head on. Judith Uiterloo was diagnosed with cancer twice and endured an extremely difficult four-year period. “I honestly didn’t think I would live,” she confesses, “but I didn’t stop going and I didn’t stop trying.” Using her work to tell the story, Uiterloo credits her strongly rooted faith in God, husband, children and craft for providing the strength for her ultimate rehabilitation. The silversmith notes she was at peace throughout the turbulent time yet she is not looking back, rather she continues to look ahead. Although husband Hank was born into jewelry he is a qualified engineer and his approach to crafting jewelry is structural. The former teacher, Judith, has a more creative approach that is visually complex and interesting. Hank is primarily responsible for necklaces and bracelets while Judith produces bodices and bags. The couple has found balance through each other’s differences and together continues to diversify their unique line. “We fill each other up” Uiterloo shares, “we complete each other.” It is the crafting of relationships such as theirs and the ones developed with their clients that Uiterloo counts as true success, yet the public perception and appreciation for the jewelry is also amarked achievement. People referring to the rare pieces as being “from another world” was such a frequent comment that it became the slogan for Atelier Doré. The founders of the art jewelry are content with the probability that mass production is not within their future and proclaim that Atelier Doré would rather 1 happy customer than 2,000 without an understanding of what the art they wear represents. “Each piece is a part of us and selling our work can be emotional, it can feel like putting up our child for adoption.” Health restored and unwavering enthusiasm intact, Uiterloo looks forward to a future laced with silver linings. Uncertain what Atelier Doré will create next she is assured it will be “a showstopper, chunky, big and outstanding.” *

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