Lois Gore

Since early childhood, Lois Gore has been drawn to the intricacies and artistry of handmade jewelry — a magnificent obsession that became a lifelong journey through fine art sculpture, wearable art, geology, and teaching. Along the way, generous mentors and masters shared their wisdom, gifting Lois with knowledge and skills she now joyfully passes forward in her workshops.

After twenty-five years designing, patternmaking, and developing a line of luxury leather accessories, Lois turned her full focus to the ancient processes that transform pure gold into hand-crafted, 22-karat heirloom jewelry. For the past twenty-three years, this devotion to ancient artistry has shaped the heart of her work.

Raised in a family of artists, creativity wasn’t simply encouraged — it was a way of life. A profound influence was her brother, the late Ron Tunison, whose legacy lives on in nine monumental bronze sculptures across the United States. His enduring spirit continues to guide Lois’s path.

Her formal training began at the Fashion Institute of Technology’s studio jewelry program in New York City and deepened at the renowned Jewelry Arts Institute, where she studied under the late master goldsmith Louise Parrish. Through this lineage, Lois immersed herself in the ancient jewelry-making techniques of the Byzantine Empire—a tradition she continues to honor with her own modern interpretations. She later earned her Graduate Gemologist certification (GIA GG) through the Gemological Institute of America, further enriching her relationship with fine gemstones and precious materials.

Today, Lois’s studio is nestled in the heart of Long Island’s East End—an area long cherished by artists and craftspeople. Surrounded by natural beauty and a thriving creative community, she draws deep inspiration from the land and its quiet rhythms.

For those who enter her studio, the experience is more than instruction—it is a passage into presence. A private space of focus, artistry, and ancient tradition. One where something timeless awakens in the hands, and the ordinary gives way to the extraordinary.

Perhaps nothing captures Lois’s reverence for her craft more clearly than the mystery of gold itself:

Gold is of exotic cosmic origin. Astronomers believe gold is formed in rare neutron-star collisions. Hold 22-karat gold in your hand and feel the energy. Making jewelry with this precious metal is like weaving stardust.