Inspired by the Western style and ranch history of California’s Santa Ynez Valley, these versatile ceramic bolos on leather cords are hand-built by Courtney Reilly Goodwin, whose jewelry line, Jeanne, is named after her grandmother. Each one-of-a-kind bolo pendant is slab rolled, bisque fired, decorated with wax, and glazed in colors that reflect the landscape near Goodwin’s home base in Santa Barbara. / $195
Handcrafted Living
It's A Cinch
Market: A bolo tie is neither a necklace nor a necktie, but something in between. Consisting of a string or cord draped around the neck and fastened with a decorative clasp, this simple form invites experimentation, drawing on the bolo’s close ties to the American West and Indigenous silversmithing practices, as well as its recent resurgence as a playful, gender-neutral accessory. For these four makers, the bolo is a canvas for personal and cultural reflection and an opportunity to showcase materials and technique.
By Kasey Payette
August 6, 2025
Photo by Courtney Reilly
The Mint bolo by Akwesasne Mohawk metalsmith Margaret Jacobs is crafted from sawn and soldered brass, then powder-coated with multiple layers of pigment to create a lush, textured centerpiece worn on a simple leather cord. Based in upstate New York, Jacobs creates sculpture and jewelry showcasing botanicals that hold cultural, personal, and familial importance. Food plants, rather than precious stones or gems, are the prized focal points of her bolos. / $295
Photo courtesy of Margaret Jacobs
Carin Jones combines collage, forging, welding, and inlay techniques to create her Urban Taxidermy bolo ties, including this Waiting on a Schoolbus bolo. The Seattle-based artist collects vintage tins as mementos of time and place, then deconstructs them and sets them within hand-forged sterling silver frames. The result is a lightweight and surprising assemblage of artifacts on an adjustable cotton cord. / $400
Photo courtesy of Carin Jones
Contemporary metalsmith Pat Pruitt—of Laguna Pueblo, Chiricahua Apache, and Anglo descent—made SpaceCowboy Bolo Tie in his New Mexico studio using a custom laminate of zirconium and titanium that he forge-welded under intense heat and pressure, then cooled in a controlled environment. This process allows the titanium’s crystalline structure to expand into iridescent patterns, which shimmer when worn on a braided kangaroo-leather cord. / $3,500
pat-pruitt-metalsmith.square.site | @patpruittmetalsmith
Kasey Payette is editorial assistant for American Craft.
Photo courtesy of Pat Pruitt
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