Article By: Zak Lodhi
For Beth Benowich, jewelry has never been an accessory. It has always been a fascination.
“I probably had an obsession,” she says with a laugh. “I loved the sparkle. But more than that, I always wanted to know, how did they make that?”
That curiosity eventually became a second career, and then a calling. After closing her children’s travel camp summer program business in 2004, Beth made a bold life shift. She began formally studying jewelry making and design in New York, committing fully to a craft she had long admired. She didn’t dive into this field alone, though. She trained with David Butler, studied with the goldsmiths at the Jewelry Arts Institute, and learned the art of wax model making from master jeweler Fred de Vos. That foundation shaped the technical precision behind Jewelry by BBDesigns. But it is Beth’s tactile sensibility that defines it. Every piece begins in wax.
“I think I dream in wax,” she says.
Unlike designers who sketch and fabricate in metal, Beth first hand-sculpts each design. Wax becomes her playground for experimentation before making the final piece. And when you hold that final piece in your hand, you’ll notice something: the texture. Texture is her signature. It is not added as decoration; it is embedded into the form itself. Her inspiration comes largely from nature and from the shapes she encounters in everyday life. In some pieces, textures are created by pressing objects directly into wax.
In others, she casts actual organic materials, like lace, leaves, pea pods, even pasta, combining them with sculpted wax to build dimensional, tactile surfaces. The result is jewelry that feels rich, bold, and organic without ever being chaotic. In 2011, Beth and her husband relocated permanently from New York to Cave Creek, Arizona, and that move would change her work forever.
Designing jewelry in the desert opened up space, visually and creatively. The landscape’s textures, from weathered stone to desert flora, naturally began influencing her forms. The pieces became more expressive, more grounded, more connected to the environment.
But beyond technique and inspiration, what truly drives Beth is the emotional relationship between the piece and the person wearing it.
“I find it so exciting when my jewelry fits the individual,” she says. “Complementing their mood or personality, whether understated or extravagant.”
For her, jewelry is storytelling. Each combination of stone, metal, and texture creates a different narrative. A hammered surface paired with oxidized silver tells a different story than polished gold with a vibrant gemstone. Every ring, pendant, or bracelet begins as an emotion she feels during its creation.
“That story relates to an emotion,” she explains. “Each piece represents a mood I feel and hope my customer will feel that too when they wear it.”
That emotional transfer is central to her process. She loves meeting the people drawn to her work, sharing the inspiration behind a piece, and watching someone recognize themselves in it. When that connection happens, when a piece feels like it belongs to someone, that is the reward. Jewelry by BBDesigns is both fine craft and personal expression. It reflects years of disciplined training, a fearless embrace of texture, and a deep respect for material. But it also reflects something simpler: enthusiasm. Beth still carries the same excitement she felt as a child staring at a sparkling piece of jewelry and wondering how it was made. Only now, she is the one answering that question, carving, casting, shaping, and telling new stories in metal.
Jewelry by BBDesigns
Cave Creek, Arizona
To explore Beth Benowich’s collections or inquire about custom work:
www.jewelrybybbdesigns.com
Beth@jewelrybybbdesigns.com
914.391.3498
