Dan & Jessie Driscoll
Jewelry
|
Jessie grew up in Woodstock NY and studied silversmithing at the Woodstock Guild during many summers of her childhood. Among her many creative pursuits was jewelry making, something several of her grandparents had also done. From her parents, who are antique dealers,she had learned about “trench art”– the repurposing of found objects like bullet casings and coins into jewelry by soldiers and sailors.
She created a daisy coin bracelet based on a piece by an Australian soldier, liked it, and began developing other designs of her own. Choosing American dimes, quarters, half dollars and dollars minted before 1965 ensured that the jewelry was innately substantial, being 90% silver.
While earning her bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt, Jessie inherited a hoard of coins from her paternal grandfather. He’d had a pet store in the Bronx for many years and had set aside the silver coins whenever he could. It seemed like fate. After completing her degree, she returned to Woodstock and to what she most loved doing. Her mom helped her with the various aspects of starting a business, and soon she was doing weekend crafts shows and selling her work online.
A few years later, she and her husband Dan began to expand the business, introducing new designs and styles, seeking out new sales venues. Dan retired from his corporate career and they began making and selling Jessie’s pieces full time, to both retail and wholesale customers. Today they show at art and craft venues in over twenty states; their wholesale accounts include the US Mint Gift Shops. Jessie continues to create new designs, by hand, in their home studio in Woodstock.
They have four children, some of whom are already learning the family business and assisting at shows.