Opening Up

A Saltier Collection

Salt Collective opens new gallery space

Rebecca Mennecke, photos by Andrea Paulseth |

Salt Collective jewelry
Salt Collective jewelry

Salt Collective began at a coffee table when metalsmithing jewelry maker Andrea White had to figure out what to do with 19 antler sheds her father had gifted her. The end result was her first antler ring, which sparked her business, Salt Collective.

Since then, White has created and sold her works from her Salt Collective studio at the Banbury Place. On April 20, White opened a gallery for her jewelry – and the work of other jewelers from around the United States – at the new Salt Collective Jewelry Gallery, 316 N. Barstow St.

“Our objective is to provide our customers with handcrafted, one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry they can connect with and admire,” she said in a press release. The new jewelry store is on the corner of Madison and Barstow streets in downtown Eau Claire.

White started her jewelry-making journey at UW-Stout, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in metals and contemporary art jewelry. All of her jewelry is handmade, with items including rings, bracelets, earrings, and necklaces made from gold, silver, and her Midwestern addition – antlers. “I was formally trained in metalsmithing (which) allows me to combine the beauty of natural elements with the timeless elegance of gold and silver,” she said on her website.

More information about White’s work – and the one-of-a-kind work of the other artists featured at the Salt Collective Jewelry Gallery – can be found online at saltcollective.us or facebook.com/saltcollectivejewelry.