Pat Flynn: diamonds and nails

I interviewed Pat Flynn for a magazine story yesterday. I’ve been a fan of his jewelry for a long time but this is the first time I really got to talk to him. He’s pretty much what you’d expect of a guy who has made a career out of turning iron nails into fine jewelry: smart, down-to-earth, and very funny.

Pat Flynn's Diamond Stripe rings began as bracelets people kept mistaking online for rings: iron band with diamonds set in platinum, lined with 18kt gold ($2,625, Twistonline.com).

Pat Flynn on jewelry making: “I hand-build everything using a skill set you would learn in a beginning jewelry class. A lot of my work starts like blacksmithing – the wildness of forging hot metal, then transitions to the more controlled work of goldsmithing. I like the dichotomy of that.”

Necklace of hand-forged iron set with VS-H diamonds and an 18kt gold hinge ($7,200, Twistonline.com)

Pat Flynn on androgyny: “My work is certainly not very feminine. When I think of ‘feminine,’ the word that comes to mind is ‘pretty.’ I don’t like that word much. I like to think my work is strong, poetic and soulful. It could appeal to either men or women.”

Hand-forged iron cuff set with marquis diamond and 22kt gold ($3,800, Twistonline.com)

Pat Flynn on his name: “I like that fact that my name is Pat and people don’t know if I’m a man or a woman. I like that confusion when somebody calls on the phone and says, “Is Pat there? I’d like to talk to her.”

Diamond Stripe Bracelet of diamonds set in hand-forged iron with platinum and 18kt gold ($7,100, Twistonline.com)

You can find the jewelry pictured here at Twist and even more cool stuff on Pat’s website.

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