IGNIS BOREALIS is a meditation on the elements that come together to create a hand-forged piece of jewelry. Made with heart and hands in Toronto, Canada by Lori Francescutti.I fell in love with metalsmithing in summer of 2018, after a long history of creative expression in other mediums. In 2010, I graduated from the Ontario College of Art & Design with a degree in Drawing and Painting. After traveling extensively, training as a midwife, and returning to Toronto, I was yearning to create again. I began experimenting with metal on a whim, after being inspired by the incredible Navajo jewelry I saw on a trip to the Utah desert, and have become a self-taught metalsmith. In November 2019 I traveled to Washington State to attend a workshop with renowned metalsmith Nicole Ringgold to expand my skill set.
I create artistic jewellery pieces for charismatic, bold, confident, earthy, impeccably imperfect souls. I am inspired by nature and all her organic forms, from the simple to the intricate, as well as the painterly quality of the gemstones I carefully select to work with. The gemstones guide me as I create each piece from the ground up. I appreciate the potential for the metal to collaborate with me in providing its own input while being melted and manipulated, often resulting in spontaneous forms of which no two are identical.