Nancy P. McAninch’s passion for travel is a driving force behind her jewelry design. She draws creative inspiration from a wide range of global landscapes and cultures, including "the stark lines of Alaskan mountains, ancient scrollwork on buildings in Prague and Ireland, and the breathtaking vistas of South Africa," among others.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Fort Myers, Florida, McAninch moved with her family to a remote fishing village in Alaska as a teenager. “The only way in or out was by boat or sea plane,” she recalls. During her time there, she spent a year learning traditional Inuit arts from local Elders, including skin sewing, beadwork, and jewelry making.
She returned to Florida to attend Rollins College, where she took her first metalsmithing class—a pivotal moment in her life. “After that, there was no turning back,” she says.
Eventually settling back in Atlanta, McAninch married and raised two daughters while continuing her education through every class, seminar, and retreat she could find. For many years, she focused on cloisonné enameling, selling her work at Topaz Gallery in Atlanta’s Buckhead district.
“I look for gemstones with rich, saturated color,” she explains. “I primarily work in sterling silver, and occasionally in high-karat gold. All of my pieces begin as sheet metal and wire, and I fabricate everything by hand.”
Over the years, McAninch has continued to refine both her skills and personal style. Her work has been featured in Jewelry Artist magazine and exhibited in galleries in Atlanta, San Francisco, and Brevard, North Carolina.
Today, she creates all of her jewelry in her Brevard studio, working with sterling silver, gold, and semiprecious gemstones to hand-forge each piece with care and craftsmanship.
