Local Husband-and-Wife Duo Make Precious Metals

By Erin Sierchio

My first encounter with local jewelry designer Pamela Tuohy-Novinsky was completely
unexpected. Our chance meeting occurred a couple of months ago when Pamela's daughter
Harlee invited me into her Land Park home–which was actually her mom's place–for a fashion
shoot for my blog. While Harlee was busy with a wardrobe change, Pamela gave me a tour of
the home studio where she and husband Edward Thomas Novinsky co-create their jewelry line
2ETN, which launched in 2010.

In a matter of minutes, I knew that the husband-and-wife duo were onto something remarkable.
The duo's high regard for creative individualism and quality craftsmanship is both admirable and
inspiring. One look at 2ETN's one-of-a-kind pieces and it is clear that those same tenets play a
powerful role in the creation of the line.

Each piece is truly a work of art, combining original art (in graphite, oil and acrylic) with
reclaimed materials (precious metals, crystals and ethically sourced stones). Inspired by nature,
Native American culture and portrait miniatures from the 1700/1800's, each piece is weighted
with meaning. The design process is slow and detailed, with an average of only three pieces
being created a month—2ETN certainly proves that you can't rush a good thing.

Collaboration also plays an important role in the creation of the collection. While Pamela and
Edward handcraft most pieces together, their collaborative efforts don't stop there. Other
artisans as well as friends and family are frequently asked to take part in the creative process.

"Most of the work is done by us and a handful of other artists that are our family and friends,"
explained Pamela. "We source all of our materials I the USA…down to our boxes, which are
made by a small family owned company."

The collective atmosphere further illustrates the duo's interest in heritage, sentimentality and
collective stories. Not interested in following trends, 2ETN strives to create a striking pieces that
are destined to become heirloom items passed on from generation to generation, each with its
own story. Given the duo's high regard for the environment and the Native American culture,
it isn't surprising at all that 2ETN also donates a percentage of its sales to the Pine Ridge Indian
Reservation's Adopt-A-Buffalo campaign.

"Our hope is that as consumers become better educated and more aware of the effects of their
purchasing power that they will gravitate towards choosing items with value that are long-
lasting and created ethically," explained Pamela.

Custom pieces can be ordered directly from 2ETN, and pieces from the existing collection can be found at Grange Hall, Curtis Steiner and at Project Artisan.

Here are just a few pieces from the collection that I'm currently coveting:

Little Traveler

The inspiration for this necklace came from a "little traveler" that makes frequent visits to one of the duo's seven hummingbird feeders in their backyard here in Sacramento. The piece
features an original acrylic painting of a hummingbird encased in resin and a 24kt gold vermeil frame, with gold vermeil beads. A little on the high side, it retails for $1,050.

Swallows for H.C.W.

An acrylic painting of swallows encased in a 1930's Eisenberg original with vintage Czech
glass beads, the inspiration for this piece came from one of the duo's favorite artists: H.C.
Westermann. Apparently, Westermann had two swallows tattooed on his chest, hence the title
of this necklace, "Swallows for H.C.W." This sparkly one-of-a-kind necklace retails for $900.

Seahorse

A personal favorite from the collection, this marvelous Sterling silver ring features an acrylic painting of Pamela's "favorite creature ever"—the seahorse. It retails for $390.

Spider

Arachnophobes beware! This repurposed 1930's Eisenberg brooch features an acrylic painting of a spider. Pamela herself used to have a fear (and hatred) of spiders, but that was before 2ETN started getting requests for spiders on commissioned work. Now, Pamela thinks of the eight-legged arthropods as her friends. "We tell people that our jewelry can help them get over their fears," Pamela joked. This brooch retails for $350, which really isn't bad considering all the money you could be spending on therapy to cure your arachnophobia!