APRIL STAR DAVIS
Artist • Jeweler • Storyteller
April Star Davis is a California-born artist and jeweler whose work bridges contemporary craft, punk ethics,
personal history, and the enduring power of handmade objects.
For nearly three decades she has created jewelry collected by musicians, artists, costume designers,
filmmakers, and private collectors around the world. Her creative life has moved fluidly between fine art,
photography, activism, and adornment, always guided by a belief that objects should carry meaning rather than
simply occupy space.
Before returning to the jeweler’s bench, Davis spent years immersed in underground music and visual culture.
Her photographic work documenting the early alternative music scene includes archival images of Nirvana from
1990, now preserved within the band’s documented photographic history. Her wider creative career has
included collaborations with artists and musicians connected to the international punk movement, including
work alongside Honey Bane and Gee Vaucher.
The values that shaped those communities—independence, authenticity, social consciousness, and creative
freedom—remain central to her jewelry practice today. Each piece is handmade using recycled precious metals,
ethically sourced stones, antique elements, and materials gathered through decades of travel and collecting.
Rather than producing fashion accessories, Davis creates modern heirlooms. Hammer marks are left visible.
Surfaces retain evidence of the maker’s hand. Imperfections become part of the story. Every piece is designed
to age alongside its wearer and acquire meaning over time.
As founder of Designers4Africa, Davis also explored the intersection of art, ethical production, and cultural
exchange, reflecting a lifelong commitment to creativity as a force for connection and social impact.
Today, her work combines the spirit of California counterculture, British punk, and traditional metalsmithing. The
result is jewelry that feels both ancient and contemporary—objects that speak of resilience, transformation,
memory, and survival.
Every piece is made independently by April. No mass production. No anonymous factories. Just thoughtful
craftsmanship, sustainable materials, and a belief that the things we wear can become part of who we are.
www.aprilstardavis.com
aprilstar2012@gmail.com
all items that are in films & TV will be sold limited edition all made by me by hand just like the ones you see on the actors & selling at full retail price
thank you all for decades of love & support! April
April star Davis is one of the jewelry designers who rebells against frivolity of excess : hand-crafting and small scale production provided an alternative design movement for an ideology didn’t align itself with commercialism : using recycled metals and ethically sourced stones as well old jewelry pieces she finds on her travels from morocco to Belgium : The look goes from old world charm to contemporary : jewelry perfect for a consumer who wants to look forward, with a nod to the past timeless classics based on her upbringing in California in the 1970s it’s there you see the influence of the hippy community and her love of Art Smith beatnik : artist : jewelry designer and eccentric who along with Alexander Calder made the hammered handmade pieces that are now coveted by collectors and most in their rightful place on exhibit in museum collections.
I want to thank everyone that has supported and bought & that so it’s worn my work
it has been your word of mouth that’s carried me with the support of costume designers like Denise Wingate who has been using my work for almost 3 decades now :
you may see some homeless in my jewelry as I’ve done wedding rings for a veteran couple forced to live out of a tent : I give a lot of pieces away as I am no good at the business side of being an artist : but my own needs are like everyone changing everything cost more to just live so no discounts to anyone unless a PR exchange is made in advance
my focus is metal work with wire & always hammered : My old hammer has wear and tear and imprints almost like leaving a fingerprint on each piece :adding the occasional antique talisman to create something that feels custom made for the wearer :
:to create things that people will keep and pass on : not having family heirlooms I created my own and they live through each person with each moment they spend in the jewelry : it’s truly a joy to create something that can last : sustainability isn’t new if you don’t have much you learn early on to recycle and to incorporate found objects into your work : no slave labor as I make each piece myself & have worked along side artisans in Mexico and Indonesia to create jewelry lines on a larger scale : however I’m back where I feel myself : alone at my desk hand making jewelry and art from things I’ve collected bymyself
For more information aprilstar2012@gmail.com
— *IM in the disabled neuro diverse category so yes many grammer & spelling errors on my site & written communications will be painfully obvious , thank you for understanding ASD
