From Corporate Cog in Boston to a Successful, Full-Time Jewelry Art Career in Tucson, Arizona – Cynthia Downs Did It in Mid-Life

By Cynthia Downs -- Hand-woven cuff bracelet features very fine sterling silver thread with gold and stone enhancements.

Yes, it can be done, and Cynthia Downs not only did it she’s been thriving ever since she made the jump 25 years ago! As an award-winning jewelry artist, her work is well known and well respected. Art BEAT Buzz discovered her in the highly regarded, juried Scottsdale, AZ show, “Celebration of Fine Art” where she has regularly manned a booth and garnered clients from all over. This incredible art show runs annually from January through March.

While working the corporate life in Boston, Cynthia found her calling taking art classes on the side for four years at Massachusetts College of Art & Design. Here she learned how to align the nuts and bolts of metal working with her own creative vision. And even though she was born and raised in Boston, enjoying her life, she knew something vital was missing.

“I always worked for someone else, but that drive to be creative and make jewelry compelled me to change my life,” she says. “It was something that I absolutely needed to do.”

Cynthia philosophically adds, “When you are finally following your true life’s path, doors open, the right people enter your life, and opportunities suddenly present themselves.”

Such was the case once she set foot in Arizona.

“As soon as I got off the plane in Tucson, I felt immediately at home,” she recalls. “I fell in love with the big skies, the colored rocks, and the climate. The ability to be outside all the time was wonderful. The light here is so different and how it flows around the terrain – it’s something you never tire of. Boston never felt like my true home the way Arizona does. Surrounded here by nature’s beauty is my constant inspiration.”

Cynthia is particularly drawn to wave patterns in the sand whether walking a beach or hiking through the desert pathways of Arizona. The undulations made by wind or water capture her imagination. This artistic observation led her to design one of her most in-demand bracelets she named TIDAL POOL – see photos below.

"The positive space in that bracelet design is as important as the negative space," she explains. "The negative space also allows the wearer a more comfortable experience, especially in the heat." 

By setting stones within its undulating pattern and adding 18-22 kt gold elements brings a richness to the overall, free-form design. Not necessarily attracted to traditionally cut precious gems such as ruby, diamond, sapphire, or emerald, she seeks out colorful minerals with an inner story that speaks to her.

“I let these beautiful, nature-made minerals tell me how to work with them,” she says. “It may sound crazy, but their size, colorations, and inner patterns direct me to where they need to be used such as a pendant or on a woven cuff bracelet.”   

Cynthia’s unerring instincts--whether in the design of her jewelry or in the re-design of her life-- have led her to lifelong fulfillment surpassing her wildest dreams. And that's an inspiration for us all!

Cynthia creates exceptionally crafted earrings, pendants/necklaces, bracelets and rings ranging in price from $150 to $5,000. Her "sterling silver thread" hand-woven jewelry is especially intriguing and intricate -- a joy on anyone's wrist.

Follow her here:

Website:  www.cynthiadowns.com

Instagram:  Cynthiadownsdesigns

FB:  Cynthia Downs Designs

RINGS: 

TIDAL POOL CUFFS

WOVEN CUFFS

PENDANTS

Cynthia Downs hard at work creating another fabulous original!