Cindy Miller Designs: The Archaeologist Jeweler

Cindy Miller's jewelry is inspired by nature and ancient history. She is an artist whose extraordinary life is present in her work. Be sure to visit her in studio 1000 near door 2 on the first floor.

A Storied Career

The woman woke up one day and knew. She was a graphic designer at NASA managing programs. One day she woke up and decided she needed to be an Archaeologist. She put her house on the market on a whim and it sold so fast it felt predestined. She made it to Boulder, Colorado and realized she hadn’t even applied to school. “If I had thought about it too long, I would have talked myself out of it.” Her friends were shocked, but she went her own way. She got into UC Boulder and became an Archaeologist.

She loved tinkering in an Archaeology lab. She spent plenty of time around earthy colors and small details in clay. Ancient cultures are major influences in her jewelry. Her years as an Archaeologist gave her a style across mediums that feels old-world and mysterious. This uncommon eye coupled with her penchant for details creates something only she could. Her work is both precise and natural.

“I believe we all respond to art at a primal level.” - Cindy Miller

Walk into Cindy Miller Designs in Studio 1000 of Lowe Mill A&E. It does call back to an Archaeology lab. Natural gemstones glitter on her workstation next to metal clay and specialized tools. Every surface is covered in her designs like the tomb of an ancient king. She is heavily inspired by the jewelry of the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Her process is so fastidious, it borders on engineering.

Process in Metal Clay Jewelry

It starts with powdered precious metal clay. Then she adds water to make a paste. In the beginning stages, she likes the clay to be very wet. This achieves a pleasing fluidity to her designs. When it dries, she carves the shapes in further with wood carving tools. More texture is embossed in using special materials. She creates shapes out of metal clay like a potter would. When they’re ready, she fires them in the kiln, polishes off the oxidation layer, and begins the final finish. She also adds natural gemstones to her work. The effects are often earthy and bold.

Saul Bell Award

Miller has had a storied career. She spent 35 years as a graphic designer. Then moved onto Archaeology. She had been making jewelry as a hobby since she was 19 when she discovered metal clay. She took to it and dove right in. It wasn’t long before she was recognized with the Saul Bell Award. This highly sought after award shines a light on innovative artists who reach the highest level of learning in their craft. This couldn’t be more fitting for Cindy Miller whose designs are unique and technical. Watching her work is like watching an engineer tinker.

The photo above is the design that won Miller the Saul Bell award. It was inspired by a beaver dam. She made each individual stick one at a time out of precious metal clay. Then she carved in the details painstakingly, refining them with needles and sandpaper. After, she fired it in the kiln, and polished off the oxidation layer. The twigs fit together with special jewelry components. She had to assemble them many times to get them to lay aesthetically and comfortably. Her best solutions come to her at the end stages of a project like this. The result is nature-inspired art that is as industrious as the woman herself.

Come See Cindy

Step into Cindy Miller Designs and transport yourself to an Indiana Jones movie. Ask her about how she got here and be prepared for a thrilling tale. She is located on the first floor of Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment near door 2 in studio 1000. There you can buy her jewelry, see the intricacies of her process, and walk away feeling like Cleopatra. You will never find designs like this anywhere else. Visit her in her studio or find out more about her here on our website.

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