Center’s featured artist values lasting quality of jewelry

Celeste Monteleone is a versatile artist who is gifted in both musical and visual arts, yet she speaks descriptively and decisively about what enticed her to become a creator of jewelry.

The soft sheen of the pearls, the harder sheen of the gold, the icy, crisp sparkle of the stones -- all of those I find to be lush and appealing, says Monteleone, 52, a native of Clarksburg, Indiana County, who now lives in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. I really enjoy what I do.

Through the end of December, Monteleone is the quarterly featured artist at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, which started the featured artist program this year. A large display in The Shop at the Shadyside center features a large selection of her work for sale -- prices range from $25 to $5,000 for mostly earrings, rings and pendants -- along with a Monteleone sign and poster.

Monteleone has sold many pieces of her Sky Mountain sterling-silver collection and her solid gold Signature line, and she has attracted many admirers, says Linda Voss Plummer, director of sales for The Shop at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. Celeste makes exquisite jewelry of exceptional quality, Plummer says. "She appeals to a wide spectrum of tastes. We feel privileged to have Celeste's work here.

Monteleone, who graduated from Duquesne University in 1973 with a music degree, taught piano lessons for about two decades and still plays. Several years after college, she tried her hand at creating jewelry as a hobby, and made a few pieces as gifts for family and friends. The idea resurrected itself in the early '90s, when she remembered how much she enjoyed making jewelry and felt the urge to try it again.

Music is so ephemeral. It's here, it's gone. It exists in the moment, Monteleone says. With jewelry, you can say, 'I made that 12 years ago.' It can still look new.

After taking courses at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Monteleone started creating fashion adornments again informally, hoping that someday she could transform her hobby into a significant business venture. In 1994, her fortune occurred when the highly selective Pittsburgh Craftsmen's Guild accepted Monteleone as a member and awarded her with the title of best new artist.

I was flying high at that point, says Monteleone, whose work is for sale at galleries outside of Pennsylvania, including three in Colorado and one in Carmel, Calif. It kind of gave me the confidence to start selling jewelry and make it more professional.

Ever since, jewelry arts have consumed Monteleone full time, as she spends hours purchasing materials such as gold, precious gems and freshwater pearls from refineries, and designing, buffing and applying finishing touches to the jewelry in her studio. A single piece, such as a multi-layered, slanted square wedding ring she made for her anniversary in December, can take 40 hours to create -- a painstaking but worthwhile investment, she says.

A good piece of jewelry fits the body as well as being an interesting and beautiful piece of design, Monteleone says. I think things have to be unbelievable.

Most of Monteleone's work is one of a kind -- often custom made for an individual client -- or part of a limited-edition line, which is her preferred product.

I'm limited by how many things my two hands can make, and I have a short attention span, Monteleone says. That's the fun of it -- creating new things rather than repeating the same thing over and over. It's more fun to move on to the next idea.

About The Author:

Cora Omar is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.wedding-rings-n-bands.com. Find beautiful weddings rings and bands including diamond, titanium, celtic, platinum and special designs.