The studio
One woman, one bench, one piece at a time.
Sierra Hill Studio is Nigora's home studio in Penn Valley, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Everything here is made by her hands.
The maker
Meet Nigora
Every piece on this site is made by one person, by hand, in a home studio in Penn Valley, California.
Her designs move between modern, boho and rustic. They grow out of her love of nature and her heritage, out of color, beads and gemstones, and out of texture hammered straight into the metal. She works mostly in copper, and in sterling silver, brass and bronze when a piece asks for it.
She still finds a new challenge at the bench every week, and she would not have it any other way. Her husband is her biggest supporter and her toughest critic. Maggie, her German Shepherd, keeps her company while she works.
It began with seed beads
Tiny glass beads, strung one at a time. Before long, beads were not enough.
Then came metal
She taught herself to cut and form copper, to work with hammer, fire and solder, and to set stones.
2016: Sierra Hill Studio opens on Etsy
Her first pieces went out to buyers across the country, each one gift wrapped by hand.
Today
374 pieces have found their homes, rated 4.9 out of 5 by 149 buyers. Still one woman, one bench, one piece at a time.
At the bench
From copper sheet to finished piece
Watch a pendant take shape, or tap a step. And as you scroll, the copper behind this page turns turquoise, the way copper ages in nature.
Cut
Every piece starts as a flat sheet of copper, sterling silver or brass, cut and shaped by hand.
Forge
Hundreds of hammer blows give each piece its form and the texture you can feel.
Fire and set
Joins are soldered with a torch, and stones are set one at a time.
Finish
Copper is aged, polished and sealed with Renaissance Wax, so it keeps its glow.
At the bench
Metals and stones she works with
Turquoise blue howlite
Sky blue stone with dark matrix veins, the color of aged copper.
Amazonite
Soft sea green, often with white streaks. Long called a stone of calm.
Agate
Banded and glowing, in orange, red, purple and more. No two alike.
Imperial jasper
Earthy swirls of rust, clay and cream.
Goldstone
Glass filled with copper sparkle, like embers caught in stone.
In their words
What buyers say
4.9 out of 5 from 149 reviews on Etsy. A few of them:
I absolutely love these earrings! They're well-crafted, made beautifully and you can feel the love and thought put into the earrings.
Absolutely darling copper earrings to go with my heart. So wonderfully made. Just perfect
Absolutely beautiful. I saw these earrings and had to have them. They did not disappoint in person…
I absolutely love this new blackened copper bangle… Great craftmanship
…I think of rustic glam when I look at these earrings… Love this shop!
Beautiful and classy! I love them and the gorgeous matching gift. Thank you!
Thank you Nigora, these earrings are gorgeous! … Beautifully wrapped and got here quickly.
Amazing communication and beautiful great quality pieces!!!
These copper hoops are gorgeous and well made.
Excellent well crafted love them Thankyou
Lovely earrings! Just as pictured and fast shipping. Thanks so much!
Custom orders are open
Dreaming of a piece that does not exist yet?
Tell Nigora what you have in mind. A stone you love, a metal, a color, a date. She will make it by hand, just for you.
Write to Nigora makeitmine@sierrahillstudio.com