At Chemistry, we’re especially drawn to work where the process is visible in the final piece—where technique isn’t background detail, but the actual language of the object.

Austin Titus is a contemporary metalsmith working out of Church Hill in Richmond, Virginia. Her practice is rooted in a refined, architectural approach to form and surface, with a strong focus on material contrast and intentional mark-making. One of the defining elements of her work is her use of keum-boo, an ancient Korean gilding technique that fuses 24k gold directly to sterling silver using heat and pressure.

Unlike plating or surface coatings, keum-boo creates a permanent molecular bond between the metals. The silver is carefully heated and prepared, and ultra-thin sheets of fine gold are burnished onto the surface, where they fuse into place. The result is not applied decoration, but integration—gold becoming part of the metal itself.

In Austin’s work, this technique is used with restraint and precision. Gold appears as quiet interventions across the surface—edges, gestures, or planes of light that shift how you read the form. There’s a balance between softness and structure, warmth and restraint, that gives each piece a grounded, architectural presence.

What makes her work feel so aligned with Chemistry is this sense of clarity in process. Nothing is ornamental for its own sake. Every line, every surface decision, is tied back to technique and intention.

These are pieces that reveal themselves slowly. The keum-boo isn’t just visual—it changes how the object catches light, how it wears over time, how it lives on the body. It’s subtle, but deeply alive.

If you’re curious about keum-boo or Austin Titus’ work, we’re always happy to talk more in-store or help connect you to specific pieces available.