American artist, Valerie Jo Coulson, is internationally renowned for her sophisticated aesthetic, inspired by aesthesia formed from events, a work of art, or gemstones. Her father, a painter and designer, and her mother, a textile artist, influenced her disposition for the arts and culture, alongside the colors and textures of her surrounding Lancaster County roots. Coulson’s masterful stone inlay and aptitude for balance, have likened the workmanship of her jewels to architecture. Newly debuted, “BBeyond Jewellery: Spectacular and Collectible Pieces,” is a loose-leaf coffee table book, featuring the world’s leading master jewelers.  Five breathtaking masterpieces by Valerie Jo Coulson are featured in the publication.

Caroline Brand, Editor of BBeyond Books, says, “We are delighted to have included the work of Valerie Jo Coulson. Her striking pieces have a great visual impact, as well as strong emotional and literary connections, and will doubtless become the heirlooms of her clients' collections.”

Coulson’s tour de force, the Gauntlet Cuff of valor and virtue, is a metaphor for universal challenges, struggles, sacrifices, and triumphs. Constructed in 22K gold, set with two phenomenal Queensland black boulder opals embodying a warrior running the gauntlet, flanked by the opposition wielding spears. The piece is inlaid with Australian Coober Pedy opal, Australian chrysoprase, Wyoming black jade and almandine garnet. The closure is a single spear head, pointed at a ruby, which symbolizes the heart.

Valerie Jo Coulson’s affinity for sacred geometry, as the basis of composition in the natural world, is reflected upon in many of her works, including The Chiaroscuro Necklace—constructed in 18K gold, inlaid with opal, lapis lazuli, turquoise, and sugilite—and the Firenze Bracelet, the latter of which is a tribute to the art and architecture of Florence, Italy, from pietra dura to sacred domes and structures. It was created in sterling silver, inlaid with tiger iron, purple agate, and Cady Mountain agate.   

 “Working as a studio art jeweler for 35 years, my creative expression is analytical of the philosophy of sacred geometry; the metaphysical principle of interconnectedness and inseparability of the part from the whole, evidenced in patterns and designs discernible in nature to the entirety of the cosmos.  Geometrical and architectural archetypes of stars, skylights, windows, roof structures and frameworks are emblematic of this oneness and our universal quest for enlightenment.  I desire that the work inspires through contemplation and becomes a repository for our shared experiences,” says Valerie Jo Coulson.

BBeyond Book’s loose-leaf edition was created so that each page is a frameable print. The Echinacea Teapot, a Coulson Objet d’Art, is an interpretative, functional teapot, created in sterling silver, pink rhodonite, and chrysoprase. For readers, it makes for a colorful addition to one’s kitchen wall art, as much as a delightful feast for the eyes in a coffee table cook. The Concaténation d’étoiles Necklace, crafted in sterling silver and tourmalinated quartz, encapsulates the spiritual augmentation of her work.

Analogous to the book’s launch, Valerie Jo Coulson has completed the first in a series, Regeneration Earrings #1, which are fabricated in sterling silver with 14K gold posts, and Piranha Agate. Regarding the inspiration behind the earrings, Coulson states the earrings reflect, “My commitment to ‘regenerative’ farming and agricultural practices. It’s crucial importance to sustaining the life and health of our planet, is represented in the context of a garden trowel.  Envisioned within this agate stone is the microbiology of the soil… a network of earthworm tunnels, their castings, bacteria, and fungi.”

“BBeyond Jewellery: Spectacular and Collectible Pieces” is available online for £200, as well as on Kindle for $9.99. To learn more about Valerie Jo Coulson and her designs, visit valeriejocoulson.com.