Nancy Linkin (pictured), a Camden, Maine-based designer known for her nature-inspired jewelry, died on June 28 of breast cancer. She was 64, according to a local obituary.

After attending the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Linkin received a master’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis, where she studied under Finnish metalsmith Heikki Seppa and learned the anticlastic raising technique that underpinned her work. She eventually opened her own business, Nancy Linkin Fine Jewelry & Sculpture, and sold her items to galleries throughout the United States.

Two people employed by the designer—Luke Sunde, who worked with her for 30 years, and Liz Allen, who has worked with her since 2014—have said they will continue her business.

A statement from the company called Linkin a “passionate, loving artist” whose “passion for creating beauty never ebbed.”

“She was a perfectionist in regards to its form, as well as finish,” the statement said. “Her creative vision was influenced by her deep love of nature. She saw beauty everywhere, and the forms that inspired her the most came from the parts of nature she especially enjoyed. Spiraling tendrils, the curl of a leaf all were reflected in her flowing work. Her metalwork with clean, clear, curving forms speak of beauty that will endure.”

Linkin, who was a finalist for a NICHE Award for sculpture in 2008, specialized in sculptural jewelry produced in silver, bronze, and 18k gold. She once said that she wanted her items “to stir the observer’s inner sense of beauty. I want my jewelry to soothe. To be elegant, casual, and comfortable—like fine silk and soft blue jeans..”

She is survived by her three children, Jacob, Zachary, and Caleb Stern; her mother, Sophie Linkin; and her brothers, David, Joseph, and James.

Donations can be made in her memory to Code Pink.

(Image courtesy of Nancy Linkin Fine Jewelry & Sculpture)

Rob Bates

JCK News Director