Tura Sugden

Tura Sugden began building her collection in 2013, focusing on intricate, unique, and sophisticated settings and compositions that she developed in her San Francisco atelier. The collection is unfolding rapidly, fueled by a dedication and commitment to deeply traditional technique and contemporary design. Feminine and airy, the work has a quiet color palette and detailed construction that is inspired by light, shadow, and the changing seasons. Traditionally rooted hand-fabrication and finishing is an important part of the work. Every element of the collection is produced in the San Francisco studio by hand. During her years as an apprentice, Tura Sugden was trained to use a traditional German blowpipe, a once-common tool that has become a dying technique. It incorporates the power of breath to supply oxygen and gas, which is controlled by a hand-adjusted valve. By blowing air into a tube from the user’s mouth and controlling a flow of propane with the left hand, the operator of the blowpipe can control a very fine flame, suitable for gold-working and ideal for intricate work. Tura employs this method of heating for all soldering applications in the studio.

“I collect inspiration. I find it in the changing seasons, the fog-filtered light of San Francisco, and in the patterns and repetitions of language and nature.”