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A chain of gold links the generations of
Penny Berton
’s family.
Her grandmother left a comfortable home in
Toronto
in 1908 to teach in
Canada
’s wild north during the Gold Rush.
There, she met and married a prospector and began her married life in a
tent. They never found the gold,
but many years later their son Pierre made his name as a Canadian historian by
chronicling their search.
His daughter continues the tradition.
The gleam of gold frames
Penny’s story too. She first
traveled to
Bali
in 1976 with a pack on her back.
The magic of the Hindu island cast its spell, and the skill of the local
crafts people provided new mediums for her creative visions.
Within a few years she had abandoned her filmmaking career, and become
an internationally renowned designer of fine jewellery.
Her work has been exhibited world-wide, including
Singapore
,
Hong Kong
,
New York
,
San Francisco
,
Los Angeles
,
Toronto
,
Vancouver
and
Jakarta
.
Penny Berton
’s jewellery is far more than craft or
decoration. In the Balinese
tradition, she regards each piece with reverence. Each
of Berton’s creations are handcrafted by artisans in
Bali
who have been trained in century-old
techniques. The work is
hand-crafted as a sacred offering to the gods.
Penny brings together symbols from ancient Chinese, Balinese and Western
mythologies in unique works of wearable art.
The symbolic meaning of the design, the healing properties of the
gemstones and the energy inherent in the silver and gold combine in each piece
to convey the spiritual significance traditionally associated with jewellery in
ancient times.
Penny Berton
was born in
Kleinburg
,
Ontario
and currently resides on
Salt
Spring
Island
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