Pat Tostenson, Handmade Jewelry

All About Pat Tostenson
Pat Tostenson, one of the artisan jewelers at 4th Street Fine Art, turns to silversmithing to satisfy her need for creativity. Without some creative outlet, Pat says, she would "shrivel up and die!" Besides silver, Pat works in beading, metal clay and forging, mixing it all together with classic artist panache.
Born in the midwest, Pat moved to California after attending the Rosebowl with her husband. “We were blown away with the beauty and weather of California,” she says. Over time, she has remodeled 12 houses, loves to race sailboats with her husband and son and is a member of the League of Women Voters. Still, she felt she needed an outlet for her creative energy, so she turned to jewelry. “I thought it would not require a lot of space,” she says, “but now the house is taken over. Oops!” 
Pat turns to nature for her inspiration. She likes unique shapes and picks stones that have unusual edges. She likes to let the stone influence the piece, and create a setting that shows off the natural, organic qualities of the materials.
Recently Pat has been working on stone setting, a traditional silversmith technique. Here you see Pat cutting a design into silver sheet with her jewelers saw, another way to create unique pieces. Pat says "My goal is to improve my techniques, and I believe that with practice this happens - so I just keep at it and watching Youtube videos and taking occasional classes."
Pat’s jewelry can often be found at various festivals, like the Saratoga Rotary Arts and Crafts, Solano Stroll, Danville, Yountville, Richmond Art Center, and Arts of Point Richmond. Come in and see more of Pat’s work at 4th Street Fine Art.

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