Cindy Lowy, Louisville, KY

Anodized Jewelry

Cindy Lowy was born and raised in Winchester, KY, the daughter of well known Kentucky musician, the late Homer Ledford. She moved to Louisville in 1981, and after working as a public school art teacher, she began creating her colorful line of anodized aluminum jewelry.

The aluminum Cindy uses is anodized by an electrochemical process that builds up an oxide layer on the metal. This layer accepts dyes allowing for many different designs, colors and images to be applied. The finished dyed aluminum is then placed in hot water to seal the color and designs.

Over the years Cindy has created a number of basic shapes for her jewelry that she has had made into steel dies. Using a small hand-turned press, Cindy presses each steel die against the anodized aluminum, cutting out multiple shapes without having to saw each by hand. She then drill holes to add beads, hammers each piece into a curved disc and polishes the edges to make them smooth.

Cindy’s jewelry can be found at Gallery on Main, Richmond, KY; Kentucky Museum of Art & Craft in Louisville, KY; Kentucky Music Hall of Fame Museum, Renfro Valley, KY; and the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea, Berea, KY.