Shaw Jewelry in Northeast Harbor

Sam Shaw didn’t set out to become a jeweler. In fact, when he arrived at college, he declared a major in geology. But somewhere along the way, the tools of science gave way to the tools of art. “So many of my sculptures and activities have been science-based,” he explained. “But what science and art have in common is that they’re both dealing with things that have never existed before. The mentality of a scientist and the mentality of an artist have a huge amount of overlap.”

It’s a perspective that has shaped every part of Sam’s career. After college, he moved to the most beautiful place he knew: Mount Desert Island. It was here that he opened Shaw Jewelry in Northeast Harbor. That was more than 40 years ago, and he’s had a storefront on Main Street ever since.

Shaw Jewelry is both a gallery and a workshop, a retail engine and a sanctuary of ideas. Sam still makes most of the work himself, specializing in a sculptural line built from cast birch twigs collected outside his studio. Every piece is fabricated individually, never mass-produced. “Even if I’m making a left and right earring, they’re extremely similar but not identical,” he said. “Each piece is unique by definition.”

Sam’s career spans multiple collections and design eras: from minimalist geometry to beachstone pieces to high-karat gold. But today, his twig line remains his most distinctive, grounded in nature but expressive of a much deeper philosophy. “For me, art is functional,” he said. “We live with it every day. It’s a tool to make us happy and a tool to make us think.”

While Sam’s own jewelry is exclusive to his store, he also exhibits work by a tight-knit group of fellow artists. Many are long-time friends and early adopters of the American craft movement. “We all came up together in the ‘70s and ‘80s,” he said. “Now we’re all old, but we’re still making.”

What sets Shaw Jewelry apart is not just the work, but the relationships it cultivates. “Customers come in here and everyone is smiling,” Sam said. “It’s often multigenerational: grandmothers, mothers, daughters. There’s no bad news, no pressure. It’s just the joy of making and sharing beauty.”

FAMOUS FOR:
His one-of-a-kind cast birch twig jewelry, hand fabricated from real twigs outside his studio. He’s also known for cultivating deep, multigenerational relationships with his customers over four decades in Northeast Harbor.

ADDRESS:
128 Main St in Northeast Harbor, ME

WEBSITE:
shawjewelry.com

photos by Peter Logue