Luana Coonen is a jeweler based in the San Francisco Bay Area, who has a strong connection with nature which she attributes to her upbringing in Hawaii. Having completed a Bachelor of Fine Art in jewelry and metal arts, Coonen’s work explores the tendency she observes in the built environment for nature to be carefully contained. This exploration involves encasing mundane and minute natural objects in her jewelry in order to amplify their otherwise muted voice in the urban environment.
Coonen’s works in Greensmith take found common beetle wings and an ivy leaf as their “jewels”, bestowing them with value by framing them within jewelry. She hopes this simple act will prompt the wearer to observe that which is beautiful around us, without the need to plunder the earth.