Ten Years Later with Jewelry Artist Devta Doolan

fter 25 years in the business, jewelry artist Devta Doolan of Portland, Maine, says he’s trying to focus more on lifestyle and less on career. Born and raised in Wellington, New Zealand, Doolan moved to the United States with his family when he was 11 years old. While in college getting a degree in English, he made extra money by selling stones. “One day, I was looking at this pile of stones and said I should make something with these,” he says.

Doolan enrolled in one jewelry-making class and “took to it like a fish to water.” Today, he makes jewelry from gold and platinum, pearls, moonstones, raw uncut diamonds, and other high quality stones.

An example of Doolan’s work.

Edith Armstrong owns Folia Gallery in Portland, Maine, where Doolan sells some of his work. “Somehow, despite or because of its simplicity, it’s wonderfully special,” Armstrong says. “Devta is extremely selective in his use of gems. He was the first jeweler that I’m aware of who used uncut diamond crystals. He also has a knack for color combinations — often daring parings.”

Known for its simplicity and elegance, his work sells mainly through retail and wholesale shows (five to nine shows a year) and through galleries. Doolan says about 60 percent of his work is sold retail and 40 percent is sold wholesale.
Ten years ago, Doolan was quoted in The Crafts Report about how he handled stress as an artist. At the time, he was so tense before a show that he was almost getting sick. Doolan now finds the best way to cope is to go into a show with zero expectations. “This way if a show goes well, I am pleasantly surprised,” he explains. “I don’t think I have a negative attitude — just a neutral one.”

A major turning point in Doolan’s career came when he focused more on his gold work and stopped working with silver.

“It was a gradual change from about 1995 to 1997,” he says. “I found working with gold much more satisfying.”

But working with expensive materials has its challenges. “In a down economy less people are buying and it takes an intense amount of capital to buy materials to make a piece,” Doolan says. “I can end up sitting on a lot of pieces that are waiting to be sold.”

His sales for the past couple of years have been down but Doolan feels fortunate because he has had time to build his inventory. “I have noticed fewer new artists coming into the higher-end jewelry market — probably due to the amount of capital needed to get started.”

Doolan is also lucky to have loyal repeat customers he developed over the years. “From 1996 to early 2002, I was obsessed with work,” he says. “I was working 70-80 hours a week.” But all that intensity has taken its toll and he has decided to back off and work less. “I want to take time to have fun.”

Monique Holloway is assistant editor of The Crafts Report.