Bob Winston

Throughout his life, Bob Winston delighted in impersonating “San Francisco’s most professional eccentric” to promote his work. For example, he would spontaneously make jewelry before a crowd of people and dressed like a hippie before there was such a thing. He also wore a sign around his neck attached to a walrus skull with his store’s name on it. In the 1940s, Winston experimented with dental tools to revive the lost-wax casting technique used in ancient Egypt. With this process, he made metal jewelry with complex organic forms and textures that were impossible to achieve by sawing, hammering or soldering. He is recognized for his imaginative designs and innovative use of materials.