Mission Bay resident Sabine Strauch didn’t intend to get into jewelry-making. The 27-year-old started oil painting as a teenager. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Cornell University in 2019 and a master’s in art education from Tufts in 2022. Her plan was to paint and instruct, but then life took a turn.
“I was hired to teach metalworking in Boston, and I had to learn it myself to teach the high school students,” she said. “I realized I really enjoyed working with the material and stayed late most nights creating my own pieces.”
She started making jewelry out of sterling silver, posting it to Instagram. Last year, she created a website and left teaching altogether.
“Teaching is incredibly rewarding but also all-encompassing,” she said. “It’s difficult to pursue an art career on the side because there’s not really a ‘side’ when you’re a teacher.”
While still an oil painter, Strauch is inspired to pursue jewelry-making as wearable art.
“We’re inundated with mass-produced products and there’s something so special about wearing a piece that’s handmade,” she said. “Especially when you understand how much work and care goes into it. The quality of the piece is so much more special than something that’s from a factory.”
It can take Strauch four hours to create a piece, requiring several steps, such as carving a wax casting mold, sawing and soldering, sanding and polishing the silver to a mirror finish.
“It’s a very involved process but the endpoint is very satisfying,” she said.
Her “Drip Collection” was inspired by the LGBTQIA+ community, of which Strauch is a member.
“My Drip Collection was created as I thought about the fluidity of identity and how there’s more opportunity for our identities than the standard heteronormative culture dictates,” she said. “I wanted to create something that celebrates growth, change, and being open to more than what society might push or expect of us.”
The pieces are reminiscent of flowing lava or dripping candle wax; thicker globules flow into thinner globules and vice versa. There are no defined shapes and structures; each piece is more free form.
“I want people to feel special and celebrated with my pieces and identity is a part of that,” she said.
Rings often come in limited sizes, frequently only up to size 12. Strauch’s rings start at size two – most jewelry makers begin at size four – and are available to a size 16. She’ll custom-make rings for people who fall outside those ranges.
Strauch and her wife, Basia Sudol, relocated to San Francisco from Boston after Sudol secured a job as lead solutions engineering at software company Stytch. They settled in Mission Bay last fall.
“I really love the neighborhood feel,” she said. “It’s amazing to be in such a creative environment. As a queer artist, Boston felt stiffer and more sequestered but here everyone is very open and excited to get to know each other. My studio is on Tennessee Street, and it has other artists and creatives. It’s incredible to meet other people and hear their stories.”
Jessica Zimmer 
Alina Ferguson