Updates
In 2022 one of my handmade pieces won the Grand Prize in The Art of Handmade Tahitian Pearls Design Contest which sent me to Tahiti studying local pearl culture. I’m a member of Nest Artisan Guild and part of the 2023 Jewelers United Cohort and Grant Program. I was also selected as a 2024 Makers United Chicago Ambassador and a 2025 Makers Future Fund grant recipient.
GROW COLLECTION
ABOUT GROW
SHOP COLLECTION
Using wax carving and lost wax casting, this collection is filled with whimsical forms and rich textures.
Each piece is both a sculpture and a creature that dances with your movement. Feel the life within the form as well as the energy bursting out.
MULTIPLY COLLECTION
ABOUT MULTIPLY
SHOP COLLECTION
With the ancient art of 22k gold granulation and silver granulation, this collection is about togetherness, bonding and surrounding.
Lost in the mesmerizing pattern honoring both order and chaos in nature.
FLOW COLLECTION
ABOUT FLOW
SHOP COLLECTION
Employing the ancient fabrication processes of hammering and forging, the metal is moved and shaped to reveal an organic and imperfect texture.
This collection is inspired by the power and grace of moving water, and created with hand hammered metal to capture waves and ripples frozen in time.
GATHER COLLECTION
ABOUT GATHER
SHOP COLLECTION
By gathering a bouquet of colorful gems, this collection is full of playful pieces designed for both stacking and sharing.
Play with different combinations for stacking or share among a group of friends.
Custom Order + Commissions
Upcoming Shows
South Loop Farmers Market
When: SAT 11/1, 9-1PM
Where: Printers Row Park, 632 S Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60605
FREE and open to the public.
Salt Shed Holiday Market Market
When: SUN 11/30, 11-5PM
Where: The Salt Shed, 1357 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60642
FREE and open to the public.
Driehaus Museum Holiday Market Market
When: SAT 12/6, 11-5PM
Where: Driehaus Museum, 50 E Erie St, Chicago, IL 60611
FREE and open to the public.
Thank you for visiting my website! Lin Bader Design is a women-owned and AAPI-owned design studio based in Chicago, founded by goldsmith and metalsmith Lin Bader. My specialties include 22k gold and silver granulation, filigree, wax carving, hammering, forging and I combine them with organic, raw, nature-inspired designs that breathe new life into old techniques.
I make each piece the old fashioned way, with the added beauty of taking techniques from thousands of years ago and making them not only survive but thrive in our day and time. I start with alloying gold, fabricating sheet and wire, picking a stone and designing around it. Then I pick the best fabrication process for the design, for example hammering, forging, wax carving or 22k gold and silver granulation. Sometimes making a piece will require multiple techniques. Finally after the forms are created to my satisfaction I’ll finish by polishing and setting stones. I love how each of the steps leaves marks of the maker. And during these steps, the piece takes on a life and personality of its own that cannot be mass produced. No two pieces in the line will be the same. It is naturally imperfect and unique like the creator behind it and the person wearing it.
*Please note that due to staffing shortages, the status of the shipment in the USPS system sometimes won’t update promptly so it’s possible to see “pre-transit” when tracking. Please rest assured that I always ship jewelry pieces fully insured and as quickly as possible to avoid delay.
*I will include packing slips and order receipts with all international orders. If you’re located in the US and would like packing slip with your shipment, please contact me and I’d be more than happy to print one for you. Thank you for shopping small!