Today, I’m thrilled to bring you the one-of-a-kind art glass jewelry by designer Linda MacNeil. I have never seen anything like her work, and I’m a bit obsessed, and I’m not the only one. Her work is included in the collections of quite a few of the most reputable museums around the world.

In the early seventies, MacNeil was experimenting with using acrylics in her jewelry when she met fellow artist Dan Dailey. He showed MacNeil the advantages of glass as artist’s medium. Glass’s wide range of colors, remarkable optical properties, and incredible versatility means it can be used in place of gemstones and can even be used like metal for structural purposes. MacNeil fell in love twice – once with glass and once with Dan Dailey, who she later married.

“Using lapidary tools and techniques, Linda MacNeil has developed a unique way of working with glass. She employed files, grinding wheels, jeweler’s rouge, and a band saw with a diamond-grit blade to shape and polish the transparent clear, blue, and yellow glass of the necklace. Lucent Lines presents a compact interplay of color, form, and light.”

The Met

Maybe more than any other jeweler I’ve ever featured, Linda MacNeil’s work looks to me like really good modern art.

You can follow Linda MacNeil on her website and on Instagram.

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Shape wear.

A post shared by : MHLI : (@studiomhli) on Jun 15, 2017 at 7:58am PDT

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Neck Collar 2017 American Jewelry Design Council theme project Stripes. Acid polished clear mirrored glass. Polished ivory and black Vitrolite glass. Polished chrome plate. 8-1/4 x 5-1/2 x 1/2 inches.

A post shared by Linda MacNeil (@lindamacneilartjewelry) on Mar 24, 2018 at 2:12pm PDT

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Neck Collar series

A post shared by Linda MacNeil (@lindamacneilartjewelry) on Jan 14, 2018 at 8:42pm PST

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Thrive Floral Necklace 2011 Acid polished, mirrored, transparent purple cast glass. Acid polished, mirrored rose glass. Polished Ivory and black Vitrolite glass. Gold plated. Pendant: 2-1/2 x 1-5/8 x 3/4”

A post shared by Linda MacNeil (@lindamacneilartjewelry) on Mar 4, 2018 at 10:35am PST

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April showers bring May flowers, I hope… #SpringhasSprung at @mfaboston where #artinbloom fills the galleries with creative 🌸 🌺 🌹 displays by professional florists and local garden clubs. Inspired by works on view, like this Neck Collar #14 by @lindamacneilartjewelry, adjacent flower arrangements offer new ways to look at the #art. Swipe and see. What do you think? Created in 1998, this sculptural neckpiece combines #gold plated brass, acid finished purple #glass, and mirror. It’s part of the #mfaBoston’s extraordinary #DaphneFaragoCollection of #contemporaryjewelry.

A post shared by Emily Stoehrer (@jewelcurator) on Apr 26, 2019 at 11:26am PDT

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One of a kind art jewelry

A post shared by Linda MacNeil (@lindamacneilartjewelry) on Jan 13, 2018 at 9:19pm PST

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Here's to the winners of the 2020 Saul Bell Design Awards category: Alternative Metals/Materials. Learn more about them and their pieces at the link in our bio. ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ 1st Place: “Primavera” by Linda MacNeil⁠ 2nd Place: “Nest” by Stanislav Drokin

A post shared by Rio Grande Jewelry Supplies (@riogrande) on Jun 3, 2020 at 1:46pm PDT