Andy Cooperman

To the Point

You’re at a party. This woman walks in. Every head in the place turns to look at her. It’s not that she’s beautiful, or provocatively dressed. It’s that she’s wearing a sterling silver ring from which sprout a half-dozen porcupine quills about six inches long.

Andy Cooperman admits that his Quill pieces are not intended for everyday use. On his web site, he suggests that they’re more about creating a “brief—and theatric—moment.” The rings, brooches, and neckpieces incorporate sterling, gold, diamonds, and more. Oh, and let us not forget the quills of Hystrix cristata, the African crested porcupine.

“I see my involvement with materials more as serial infatuations,” Cooperman admits. “Sometimes I see a material and my response is immediate—Man! I have to use that in something! The quills were like that.”

In the past, Cooperman’s infatuations have included rattlesnake bones, ping-pong balls, and deer teeth. It’s something that’s been with him since he star...