Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam Davenport.
Adam, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My Artistic Journey
I am a self-taught sculptor, and my journey began in New York in 1986. From an early age, I felt a deep passion for creating art. I started working with clay, sculpting busts and small statues for the few clients I had. But after a year, the income simply wasn’t enough to support me, so I stepped away from the art world and took a job as a mall security guard.
It was there that destiny found me.
One day, I broke up a fight between two men in front of a jewelry store. After separating them, one of the men joked to the other, “I’ll bet you this guy can make this piece better than you.” He handed me a wax tube, a picture, and his business card. That night, I went home and attempted to carve the butterfly ring. Working with wax was challenging, but I finished it. Two days later, I brought it back to him. Impressed, he offered me a job on the spot. That was the moment I became a model-maker.
After two years with his company, I struck out on my own. My first year was modest—I earned just enough to cover expenses—but as my confidence and skill grew, so did my business. I eventually opened my first shop on Bowery Street in Manhattan. Over the years, I created more than 2,000 pieces of jewelry: rings, pendants, special commissions. My clients included Wesley Snipes, Erykah Badu, Ben Vereen, as well as museums.
Then came September 11, 2001. The industry changed overnight. Work disappeared, and I was forced to close my shop. Unsure of what came next, I left the jewelry world and took a regular job. For two years, I created no art. Eventually, my family and I moved to Florida to start fresh. We bought a house, and I built a small studio in the garage to slowly rebuild my creative life.
It was during that period that a friend invited me to a pen show. At first, I was amazed that people collected pens as art—and paid good money for them. I asked if anyone could make pens to sell at these shows. When he said yes, I decided to reinvent myself once again.
That was the beginning of my life as a pen maker.
Today, I’m well known in the pen world for my unusual, artistic, and mechanically complex pens. My work has been featured in Ebony, Pen World, Penna, and Stylus. I love to mix mediums—gold, silver, bronze, copper, glass, and wood—and many of my designs are inspired by my travels and the many places I have been blessed to visit.
My journey has taken me from clay to jewelry to fine pens, but the constant element has been the same: the joy of creating art with my own hands.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Its never a smooth road, sometimes, I invest in works of art that fail, but this is the catalyst that helps me better myself.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a model-maker, I specialized in all aspect of product and work of art creation. I make anything that my clients desired. I am known for been a great pen maker. I am proud of my family and the support I get from them. What sets me apart from others, is that I make unique products, one of a kind masterpieces.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I always give credit to those who work behind the scenes, first again my family. Then my metal caster who makes sure that my final product take its metal form, the stone setters who puts up with my crazy design demands. My clients, without them my work of arts will be nothing.
Pricing:
- from $70.00- $100,000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://eternadesigns.com
- Instagram: eterna_design_pens
