Lyall once worked with a woman who wanted her one-carat diamond to withstand the rigors of sailing and daily island life.

Her design had to have a practical side – it couldn’t catch on anything – and look good.

The ring Lyall crafted achieved both goals.

“There’s always a way to make a very practical piece very beautiful or understated,” she said, adding that a person’s projected wishes about a jewelry item often are very different from how they are going to wear it.

Lyall, a graduate goldsmith, will showcase bracelets and slides – interchangeable pieces worn on necklaces or cords – in the fifth annual Bainbridge Island Summer Studio Tour this weekend.

She hand-fabricates her custom contemporary designs and special orders in sterling silver, gold or a combination thereof.

“I don’t do any casting and I alloy my own 18-karat gold,” she said. “My pieces reflect composition. They’re like color and texture.

“They’re pretty content pieces. I’ve been so happy here, I want to spread this (happiness) around.”

Lyall moved to Bainbridge to be with family in 1996. She had spent the previous 20 years in Florida, working in the Neiman-Marcus jewelry studio in Bal Harbour and other top stores. She has shown her designs at big art shows across the country, but last month’s trek to Ann Arbor, Mich., was her last.

“After so many years traveling, I have decided to focus only on my area and on custom orders and artistic jewelry,” she said.

Her “area” is Bainbridge Island, where, she noted, women have jewelry not befitting the lifestyle in the Pacific Northwest.

“Many people here have pieces that are too hard to wear,” Lyall said. “They need more casually elegant pieces.”

Lyall attended college in the U.S. before finding her true calling as a jewelry maker. A series of stepping-stones and her parents’ naivete, she said, paved the way for a three-year apprenticeship in Germany.

“We spoke to relatives in Germany who said ‘come over here, we can help.’ I figured out what I wanted to do,” she said. “When I did the apprenticeship, (the other students) were 18 and already earning money. I was old at 20, (but) it was a lovely experience.

“I feel I got a bounty of trade techniques in my training that allowed me to excel,” Lyall said. “Craftsmanship is the armature for the art.”

The Summer Studio Tour offers artistic pick-me-ups for body and home. Works from the juried artists include pottery, paintings, woodwork, clocks, furniture, mosaics, photography, glass art, custom clothing and dolls. With a nod to this year’s theme, “From our Hands to Yours,” photographs of working artists’ hands are included.

“What’s fun about the summer tour is the casual, marketplace atmosphere in the studio gardens, with musicians from the Island Music Guild providing live music during the day,” event coordinator Susan Phillips said. “The seven studios are placed around the island in a logical route to make it easy to visit them all.

“The Studio Tours are a real ‘island happening,’ featuring unique art by many talented local artists.”

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Summer tour

The fifth annual Bainbridge Island Summer Studio Tour, “From Our Hands to Yours,” takes place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 12-13; and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 14.

The self-guided tour features seven studios located along an easy route, musical entertainment by members of the Island Music Guild and artists’ demonstrations. Admission is free.

The studios themselves provide intriguing views into the professional lives of some of the artists. They range from a portrait painter’s sophisticated space to a wood craftsman’s shavings-and-saws-filled room.

To view the tour map and details about the artists, visit www.bistudiotour.com. For more information call 842-5112.