Artist’s Statement
Precious metals are my palette, the hammer my paintbrush. I strive to create works that bring joy to the wearer, to the body and to the eye. I am intrigued by the effect of contrasting textures: by the play of light on a burnished edge, the mark of a hammer blow, or the upset of a straight line. The work must be more than a technical accomplishment. It must have rhythm and it must tell a story to be truly complete.
Jewelry designer and goldsmith Tobi Sznajderman.
Tobi Sznajderman was born in Hackensack, New Jersey. She is the daughter of journalist, Suzanne Messing, and painter, Marius Sznajderman. As a child, she was surrounded and influenced by the community of artist friends of her father.
In 1985, she received a BFA in Metalsmithing from the School for American Craftsmen, Rochester Institute of Technology, in Rochester, NY. She studied with many professors at RIT. Near and dear to her heart always is Hans Christensen, who died during her first year there. She also studied with Gary Griffin, Leonard Urso and Mark Stanitz. Urso was particularly influential in her early work, which dealt with the human form.
During the period from 1985 to 1998, Tobi worked under many talented goldsmiths while developing her own lines of jewelry. She pursued galleries, and refined her techniques. Her most influential mentor/employers were Barbara Heinrich, Timothy Grannis, Vincent Ferrini, John Reynolds, and Robert Fairbank. During this period she also traveled extensively in the United States, Europe and Mexico, and lived in Burlington, VT, Boston, Seattle, and Rochester, NY.
Since 1998, Tobi has focused on designing, producing and marketing her own work. She has exhibited her work at both wholesale and retail craft shows. She has been represented by may fine galleries across the U.S. throughout the years. More recently, she has focused on creating custom jewelry pieces for the galleries that represent her and for private clients. In 2014, she began working as the custom jewelry designer for beryl, in Northampton, MA.
She resides in Massachusetts with her husband, and has two grown children.