Her jewelry, which ranges from classic -- a turquoise ring-- to whimsical -- globe earrings that spin at the slightest touch -- has earned Lopez a reputation as one of Dartmouth's most talented artists.
Her recent installation in the Jaffe-Friede Gallery in the Hopkins Center, "From Royalty to Reality: A Modern Interpretation of Jewelry," which closed on May 9, was an extensive body of work that Jeff Georgantes, director of the Donald Claflin Jewelry Studio, said was of professional caliber.
"To pull off what she pulled off without getting academic credit for it was really astounding," Georgantes said.
Lopez's first significant exposure to jewelry design came when she got a job in the Jewelry Studio her freshman year. Initially, she didn't enjoy her work there. But a turning point came when Georgantes arrived her sophomore summer. With his encouragement, Lopez began work on her first jewelry collection, "Two Tone."
"One of the things that is sort of unique about Jennifer is that she wanted to figure out a way to integrate her experience within the student workshops with her academic career and possibly her professional career," Georgantes said.
Although Lopez has gained the most attention for her jewelry, she's passionate about design in general. She's already created a sterling silver case for her hot pink iPod Mini, and in the future she envisions making metal and fur laptop covers.
"I have goals past jewelry," Lopez said. "It is a starting point for me."
Nor does Lopez confine her definition of jewelry to archetypical rings, necklaces and earrings, but rather to any possession of personal value -- even scarves or cases.
Lopez designs her jewelry with the wearer in mind. Even though many of her pieces are large and complex, she said those who try on her works are surprised by how four-inch wide earrings still have even-handed physical qualities.
"Finding that balance is critical," Lopez said. "You work it out. You look at what you want to do, and then find a way to achieve it."
Obtaining balance has been particularly important to Lopez. Unlike creative writers, musicians, studio artists or actors, Lopez's work with jewelry does not receive academic credit. As a geography major and studio art minor who went on the Portuguese Language Study Abroad program, Lopez was forced to prioritize as she juggled academics with jewelry.
Before Dartmouth, Lopez had interned for the designer Anna Sui, but also planned to pursue the pre-medical track, even attending "doctor camps" during high school. As with many first-year students, this ambition was soon abandoned in favor of a newly discovered interest -- geography.
It was difficult for Lopez to reconcile her passion for design and a blossoming interest in geography with a sense of responsibility to get the most out of her Dartmouth education.
"I come from immigrant parents," Lopez said. "Being a doctor is the goal."
Ultimately, Lopez realized that she would serve no one's interests by not following what she loved.
"You can't be 15 people," Lopez said. "I can't do what I'm doing with this and also write a thesis and also be a double major. You've got to focus on what you want," she said.
Fortunately, Lopez's geography professors have shown their support for her interest in design by discussing fashion and posting articles about Lopez on the departmental bulletin board. This was also the case with her studio art professors.
"I think everything always informs any knowledge you get, even if you can't articulate why or how," Lopez said. "I'm really interested in the way people present themselves and their aesthetic values, so in a way that goes hand and hand with geography."
Lopez's post-graduation plans are not settled at the moment, but she plans to return to her native New York City and keep selling her work, which fetches prices as high as $300.
To Georgantes, Lopez's considerable work ethic and professional approach bodes well for a future in design.
"She's incredibly talented and she's extremely driven," Georgantes said. "She's just destined to be a success in whatever she chooses to do. And she's going to have a lot of fun doing it."
