Atencio. Even the name seems to insist that you look. And won’t you be glad you did! John Atencio’s designs are, according to his devoted clientele, instantly recognizable even from across a crowded room. That suits John to a T. “I’m committed,” he says, “to keeping my jewelry identifiable. When people can look and say, ‘I know who made that,’ I think you’ve crossed that line. You have a following . . . a branded look.”

In order to be wearable, John believes, designs must be clean. They must fit well and be comfortable on the body. Between his attention to high quality in materials and workmanship and his dedication to the comfort factor, John has been able to build a loyal following over the past 30-odd years.

It’s all so distant from the days when he made a couple weeks’ worth of jewelry pieces, loaded his life into an old VW microbus and went out selling. Remembers John, “It was just a hand-’em-out sort of thing. Very free-spirited . . . and very nerve-racking.”

His collections, even now, come together over time. He watches, he reads, he sees. “At some point,” he says, “I get that feeling . . . and away I go.” In a way, John admits, it’s like a mother with her children. She loves them all, but it’s the newest one that needs the most from her. “As a mother, you have to feed it, take care of it and make it grow.” It demands so much attention, but eventually, he knows, “I have to launch it.”

The latest collection, Reflections, is his favorite “because it’s the hardest, but it’s also the newest.” As soon as he starts it, John knows, the next one will be the hardest—and his favorite.

The jewelry he creates is no less art than the paintings he buys and displays or gives as gifts. They, too, these “little pieces of art,” are meant to be seen, admired and enjoyed. “I don’t want my art in the closet. I want it on the wall. I want it wearable.”

“I have a strong emotional sense that this is what I need to be doing. When I go through a rocky period, I throw myself into my work. Along the way, it’s become quite a journey. It’s got my name on it. And my art.”

See more of John Atencio’s art at www.johnatencio.com and, if you’re close enough, visit his studio and appreciate the art. Better still, try it on.