About Douglas Randall

I love making things that people cherish. At 15 years old I took a lapidary class at the Baton Rouge C.Y.O. with George Seminole, a wonderful mentor. When I had cut and polished 10 or 15 stones it was suggested that I take jewelry courses with George, which I did for a number of years until I went to the Pennsylvania Academy the Fine Arts and studied sculpture. I then found an art jeweler, Wesley Emmons, who invited me to apprentice in his enlightening, bohemian workshop. I learned much about people and life in that crazy basement shop. I worked for Wesley on and off for the next six or seven years. Then I went west and found a position at Pacific Gem, in Seattle Washington, until the Seattle rain got to me. I left for my hometown, it stills rains a lot in Baton Rouge but it stops frequently!  I was the photographer on a civil rights case that morphed into a book, Our Children’s Keepers, by Larry Cole. During my time in Baton Rouge, I work for Jules Madere Jewelers, where Jules taught me jewelry repair work. If one wants to learn the craft of jewelry; fixing other jeweler’s work is an excellent way to learn.

I came back to Philadelphia and opened my first retail jewelry shop and open studio, Douglas W Randall Jewelry and Sculpture, at 20th and Walnut, followed by a shop in the New Market complex in Society Hill. My last open studio was in Old City.  After closing my shop I taught Jewelry Design at Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City. I did a lot of work for the Franklin Mint as well as commissions like the bigger than life sculpture of Lee Strasberg and the AARP Impact Award.  For many years I was also a sculpture and drawing instructor at the Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia.

I have been exhibited in many of the finest venues in America; The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Lee Nordness Gallery, NYC, Miller Galleries NYC. Wexler Gallery, Philadelphia and now; with Etsy.