About the Artist
Making jewelry has been a part of Sally Fox's life since she was a young girl. For her 8th birthday Ms. Fox received all of the basic tools to begin learning the art of making jewelry. Within a year, she was selling earrings to her neighbors and classmates and has ever since been immersed in the exploration of the wonderful age-old art of adornment.
As a fourth generation native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Ms. Fox has had access since the 1970’s to gemstones and ethnic artifacts ranging from African trade beads to a wide array of handmade objects from both local and Pacific rim artisans. Early exposure to this extraordinary variety of elements has greatly influenced the direction of her work.
An insatiable curiosity and quick mind led Sally on an interesting, albeit unconventional, study and career path. Ms. Fox pursued her passion for archaeology by studying and working with the noted Mayan archaeologist Merle Greene Robertson at the ruins in Palenque, Mexico then returned to California where she spent a number of years working in the field of interior design.
An accomplished seamstress since the age of six, Sally’s horizons broadened to include the study of historical costuming. For 20 years she researched, designed and constructed fabulous costumes for theatrical productions as well as private clients. Her business, Flights of Fancy, became a leading provider of costumed performers for grand scale corporate events throughout the San Francisco Bay area. The business soon expanded into creating elaborate one-of-a-kind gowns for themed weddings. The painstakingly detailed design and construction of these bridal gowns often required many months and several fittings en-route to completion, a process culminating with the designer personally dressing the bride on her wedding day.
A back and neck injury in 1999 made it impossible for Ms. Fox to continue in her chosen line of work. During the same period, it also became necessary for Sally to find a way to work from home so she could support her family while caring for her husband of 14 years who was dying from cancer. Though difficult at the time, this set of circumstances ultimately brought her back to jewelry design. With her usual enthusiasm, Ms. Fox began to learn everything she could about the gemstones she has been drawn to work with including the ancient and fascinating multi-cultural gem lore that surrounds each stone. Ms. Fox is a graduate of the Gemological Institute of America.
Sally brings the influence of her years spent studying and working in these various disciplines to her jewelry designs. Her eye for color, balance and proportion, her love of the eloquently simple beauty of ancient jewelry, her knowledge of gemstones and her innate sense of what makes a woman beautiful are combined in the luscious and wearable works of art which comprise the Sally Fox Jewelry collection.
Early in 2006, Ms. Fox married the love of her life, well known sculptor Will Herrera, and relocated to the beautiful island of Maui. As a wedding gift, Will created a marvelous new jewelry studio with breathtaking views of the Pacific for Sally on the property he has inhabited since moving to Maui in 1977. Mr. and Mrs. Herrera enjoy traveling extensively all over the world and together share a passion for beautiful, fast cars and Formula One auto racing.
