By Shannon L. Brown

Art meets engineering when Jayne Redman of Jayne Redman Jewelry Inc. in Portland, Maine, applies keum-boo, the ancient Korean technique of bonding 24k gold foil to another metal surface, usually silver. Her nature-inspired, sculptural silver jewelry is brought to life by this touch of gold.

But keum-boo is more than just a beautiful accent. Redman has found that it gives her jewelry a high-end look without a high-end price tag, elevating her silver jewelry above the category’s usual perceptions. “If a fine jewelry store wants to include a lower-price-point line, they can show this to a customer who might not buy silver jewelry,” she says. “Because of the gold decorating the surface, it is perceived as an article of gold jewelry.”