Diana Christiansen’s career spans decades and includes everything from painting and printmaking to sculpting and fabric design. Sugarloaf shoppers best know Diana for her distinctive anodized aluminum jewelry and watches. Diana created the unique Wahl and Christiansen jewelry line with her late husband, Karl Wahl.

Diana’s contemporary jewelry collection owes its inspiration to the shapes, patterns, and colors of modern art and architecture. From these sources, the artist makes countless thumbnail sketches which eventually show up in her jewelry – either as individual components or as a whole piece.

An electrochemical process is employed to dye the metal the many different colors seen in her designs. Once the aluminum is dyed and sealed, the color becomes permanent and is part of the metal itself. Diana then uses a photo-etch process to remove some of the surface color leaving behind a pattern. Anodized aluminum cannot be soldered. Individual pieces of aluminum are combined by drilling tiny holes and making use of miniature nuts and bolts!

Anodized aluminum does not tarnish, is very light weight and requires no maintenance. Look for this unique handcrafted jewelry at a Sugarloaf show near you….