About Paula - The Artist. The Jewelry Designer. The Painter.
Paula James is a multidisciplinary artist and jewelry designer whose creative journey began in childhood and continues to evolve through painting, sculpture, and the creation of fine jewelry.
Born and raised outside Boston, Massachusetts, Paula spent summers on Martha’s Vineyard—a place that has deeply influenced her artistic vision. The island’s natural beauty, history, and distinctive culture continue to inspire her paintings and jewelry designs, including pieces incorporating Wampum shells and island-inspired motifs.
Paula’s artistic gifts were recognized by her parents at an early age. They enrolled her in oil painting, watercolor, and sculpture classes at the local YMCA, beginning a lifelong relationship with art. After years of painting on canvas, she became fascinated by precious and semi-precious gemstones and metals and discovered a new way to express her creativity: transforming her art into wearable form.
Her jewelry fabrication, silversmithing, and stone-setting skills developed through studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York. Committed to continually refining her craft, Paula has continued her education through private mentoring and master classes with accomplished fine jewelry designers from around the world.
Her jewelry reflects the sensibility of a mixed-media artist, bringing together precious metals—including sterling silver and gold—with diamonds, birthstones, freshwater pearls, and other gemstones. Many of her pieces are custom designed for private clients, transforming personal stories, milestones, and relationships into meaningful jewelry intended to be treasured and passed down through generations.
Paula has also created commemorative, anniversary, and centennial jewelry for philanthropic and nonprofit organizations, including The Girl Friends, Inc., a national organization of Black women approaching a century of service and friendship, and The Cottagers, Inc., a historic organization of Black women homeowners on Martha’s Vineyard celebrating decades of service to their community.
Today, Paula creates from her studio in Harlem, New York, where her love of painting and jewelry continues to intersect. Whether working on canvas or crafting a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry, her goal remains the same: to create beautiful art that carries meaning, celebrates individuality, and can become part of a lasting legacy.
Explore Paula James Jewelry online, through private showings, boutique galleries, pop-ups, and select social platforms.