Donald Friedlich received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in jewelry and metalsmithing in 1982 from the Rhode Island School of Design after transferring from the University of Vermont. Accoring to Friedlich, much of his exploration has involved a search for qualities that are unique to jewelry as an art form.
He has been a leading figure in contemporary American jewelry. Over his 30 year career, he has earned an international reputation as a master jeweler, lecturer, teacher and artist in residence. His jewelry has been shown in galleries and museums all over the world and is in the permanent collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Corning Museum of Glass, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, among others.
Friedlich’s work defies easy categorization. He is a jeweler whose primary material is glass: although a surprising number of jewelry artists have experimented with the medium, few have explored its potential with such depth. An artist with a finely tuned sense of color and formal composition, he’s equally driven by technical challenges, constantly pushing himself to develop new skills.