Who Is Laurel Burch?
Colorful cats, native American inspired horses, and birds from the tropical to the simple dove make evoke memories of Laurel Burch, an esteemed artist, metal worker and jewelry specialist whose designs flourished, especially in the 1980s, and again have gained popularity in the 2000s. Laurel Burch, born Laurel Anne Harte, was a California native born in 1945. An early marriage in 1964, and a divorce shortly thereafter, inspired the self-taught artist, then a single mom with two young children, to start making jewelry to attempt to support her family. With two babies and no money, Laurel Burch was 20 years old, attempting to survive on welfare. Her early attempts at providing for her family resulted in a shoplifting charge for taking some meat from a grocery store to feed her son more protein. Through those lean years, though, she quickly discovered a talent for jewelry making, and began to sell her work in the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco, California, in which she lived. Ho
