ABOUT

 

Hi! My name is Keeton Disser and I am the woman behind Color&Quill.  I create my art in nestled in the heart of the San Juan Mountains in Ouray, CO where my family and I live.  My kids Addy and Mason have grown up here in Ouray, while my husband Nate and I come from all over the country. We were both drawn to the San Juans where we met 20+ years ago and put down roots. Our family shares a whole hearted love for the mountains and desert.  When I’m not in my studio, you’ll find me outside :).

I started my silversmithing journey in high school and that continued into art school.  After years of teaching both high school and middle school art as well as working in the outdoor industry I started playing around with beads for fun again.  I quickly realized I wanted to reignite my roots in silversmithing and combine the 2 mediums.  These small pieces of color, texture, and love are hand fabricated by using Japanese glass seed beads, sterling silver, gold and stones. My work is distressed with patinas and grit.

Each piece I create is slowly hand made. My focus is to create small batches of rustic and unique jewelry that take you straight to the mountains and desert where my inspiration comes from.  Every piece that comes out of my studio is one of a kind and no two pieces are exactly the same. I use thousands of beads in my work so each time I sit down to bead its different each time.

Q: Where can I look at and purchase your work? 
A: You can shop my current work here! I also have pieces at Mercantile Ouray right here in Ouray.  You can look at my gallery for older work if your considering a custom piece when offered.

Q: How do you care for your work? 
A: I use Japanese seed beads, sterling silver, gold and ethically sourced stones in my work. They are all natural materials so they do need gentle care while handling them.

When wearing your beaded pieces avoid getting them wet if possible. I use silk for the thread so when that dries it can pull the threads tighter then when I wove them creating unwanted tension on the beads. If you notice a glass bead has broken you can reach out to me to see if repairs are needed. I change hourly for repairs.  With that said I do guarantee my work, so please reach out if something needs my attention.

For my silver work it will arrive distressed typically with a  patina. I use a natural wax conditioner to prolong the dark patina effect.  Please consider limiting contact with loads of water, hand sanitizers, perfumes, lotions etc as they can tarnish your silver and alter your stones.

Q: Are you taking custom orders?
A: I am not currently taking on custom pieces. These spots are sold out through 2026.

Q: How often do you have new collections and how do I know when they are happening?

A: I try to post 1 new collection a month. This can mean 15 pieces or 3 just depends on the complexity of the work and if the rest of my life 🙂 The best way to be in the Color&Quill loop is by signing up for my newsletter.  I put out one before each sale with details and sneak peeks of the pieces! Just go to my home page on my website, scroll to the bottom and you can sign up there.  If your an Instagram follower I post all my release dates on that platform as well in my bio.

Q: Do you have any jewelry on hand in your studio I can buy? Why does it say pieces are sold out on your website? 
A: Sometimes I have pieces available! Just reach out via email or on instagram messages and I will let you know what I may have.  Each month I do at lease 1 sale on my website.  Because all of my work is hand-made by me it is a SLOW  process and I can only make so many pieces while keeping the integrity and quality of my work.  I sometimes have pieces that are made to order, but the majority of pieces I make are truly one of a kind so once it is sold out on my website I don’t recreate it.

Q: When will my order ship?
A: I try to get everything boxed and wrapped and ready to ship 1-3 days after your order. I will reach out if I have any questions pertaining to your order that I have before I ship ( like if you want silver or gold ear wires).

Q: Do you ship to Canada and overseas?
A: Yes, I will reach out if extra shipping fees apply. Please note that shipping overseas is very expensive right now. Please keep this in mind before you commit to a piece for extra fees.

Q: Did you go to school for art?
A: I did! Though my focus was digital arts, I studied jewelry making and painting as well with a focus on color theory at Rhode Island School of Design. I went back to school for round 2 at Fort Lewis Collage to get my Colorado Teachers license to be able to teach art for k-12. I was lucky enough to teach both middle school and high school students for years 🙂 I also have a degree in silver metalsmithing from the Jewellery Academy in Brighton.

Q: Who does your photography?
A: I am lucky enough to have an in house photographer! My daughter Addison Disser is SO talented! You can take a look at her work on Instagram at leila.disser.photography

Q: What is your return and exchange policy? 

A: I do not accept returns. When making your decision if you would like to buy a hand-made item its important that you know your ring or wrist size before you purchase a Color&Quill piece.  All sales are final. With that said I do guarantee my work, so please reach out if something needs my attention.

Please reach out with any other questions!