Paula Dawkins

Paula is co-owner and the lead designer goldsmith at Jewels That Dance. Paula is known for her stunning contemplative jewelry designs and her uncanny ability to create exactly what suits each individual customer. Her skill is innate.

A graduate of Appalachian State University with a BA in psychology, Paula is a self-taught jeweler.  She has enhanced her abilities through attending of courses at Penland School for the Arts and Holland's School for Jewelers. She is certified in diamond grading by the Gemological Institute of America. After graduating from college, Paula decided to try her had at the newly emerging craft circuit, rather than getting "serious" about work.  With a few dollars and a jeweler's saw, Paula made some cut coin jewelry and her career began.  The rest is history.

To look around the design studio below, click and drag your cursor left or right, hold the Shift key to zoom in or the Ctrl key to zoom out.

Paula began wholesaling a line of jewelry under her name in 1985, at the infancy of the wholesale craft movement. She exhibited with the Jewelers of America, the American Craft Council and the Buyers Market of American Craft.  At the height of this phase of her career, Paula's work was exhibited in over seventy-five national galleries.  In 1993 the Jewelers of America recognized Paula as one of the top twelve new designers in the country and her work was featured in multiple trade publications. 

In the late nineties, Paula chose to shift from a wholesale market focus and direct all her energies to the growth of her store, Jewels That Dance. We welcome you to this beautiful store.  If you can't visit us in Asheville, feel free to contact Paula online (at pauladawkins@jewelsthatdance.com). She can design that special piece of jewelry just for you.