Art Meets Alchemy with Britt Moore
A lesson in letting go and trusting yourself
“I was just making these things that I thought would be cool versus what I wanted to make. And then something came over me and I just let go... I’m enough. Just be.” - Britt Moore, Artist and Jewelry Designer
Britt Moore is a renaissance woman. Today she runs her jewelry studio, Britt Moore Jewelry as part of her eponymous multidisciplinary studio. Moore specializes in the ancient art of lost-wax casting, a sculpting process that that is both additive and subtractive, building form without a predetermined end in mind. Her journey mirrors her craft - by letting her creative passion guide her, Moore has traveled a path she couldn’t have mapped from the start.
Moore started jewelry making fifteen years ago while studying to be a mechanical engineer. She aspired to be car designer, but found her classes stifled her creativity and started making beaded jewelry as an outlet. Enthralled by the process, she decided to explore various methods, leading her to take a class in lost-wax casting at Accents in Santa Monica. Moore reflected how she let her creativity take over in through the practice, “It was about letting the materials and process take me somewhere versus having a specific intention on what I was going to make”.
This lesson would serve Moore throughout her practice, across multiple disciplines. Slowly, jewelry making became her primary focus and she joined the Accents team as a designer and salesperson. Moore took the opportunity to not only hone her craft but also learn how to build a business. Soon her craft started to focus more on pieces she knew would sell well versus what she was inspired by, depleting her creative fire. She left Accents to find a new boost of inspiration.
This pause led her to architectural and interior design. During college she had assisted an interior designer and after graduation she spent some time in building design. Blending her prior experience with her artistic eye, felt like the right combination for her next move. Going back to the discipline felt akin to jewelry making but on a grander scale, incorporating some of the technical aspects of engineering that she missed. Moore started as a design consultant at HD Buttercup in Culver City and went on to be the second in command for a prominent residential builder in Malibu.
The pivot in her career, however, came during the pandemic. As the world halted, Britt seized the opportunity to reorganize and launch her own jewelry studio. She had considered the name “Galactic Alchemy”, merging the vast, possibility of ideas with transformation of her subconscious into art. But as she evolved, she realized the name had become a confining concept. She decided to let go of it, believing in her own worth and creativity, and embraced her identity by simply using her own name and Britt Moore Studio was born.
Britt Moore Studio is a multidisciplinary studio with an arm focused on her lost-wax casting jewelry. Inspired by geometric forms, tribal design, and ancient philosophies, one of her necklaces, Sankofa Duafe features two Ghanian symbols. The Sankofa, depicted as stylized heart shape of a bird turning back, is a reminder to look to your past for inspiration and the Duafe, a comb, is a symbol of femininity.
One of Moore’s favorite pieces is the Directions Ring, which Moore made while simply playing in her studio years ago. She started wearing it, and its unique design immediately caught people’s attention, inspiring various interpretations from zodiac signs to arrowheads. She named the piece “Direction” because it reminded her to stay focused.
“Growing up with parents who worked in the Navy, I was constantly relocated and I’ve had to start my life over many times. Constantly following orders on top of not being rooted in a community, I was in a world where I wasn't allowed to trust myself,” shared Moore. “This symbol has just been a reminder to stay on the path. Whatever it is that you’re trying to manifest for yourself, just keep going”.
You can see Moore’s full collection on her website and follow her on Instagram for the latest.