Who is Pippa Morris?

My name is actually Phylise Banner. I was named after my grandfather Phillip—I should have been Phillippa, but that's neither here nor there. Pippa Morris is my pen name, borrowed from my sister who lives in England and bears that surname.

 

When I visit her, I playfully introduce myself as Pippa Morris, and when it came time to name my jewelry business, I thought: why not? The domain was available, and like Jethro Tull (which is really Ian Anderson) Pippa Morris felt like the perfect identity for this creative venture.

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I've been in love with jewelry my whole life. If my parents had only noticed when I was a child, I'd probably be a diamond cutter by now. I remember the first ring I bought at a flea market as a child. A delicate silver band with rubies set into it. That ring started a lifelong affair with beautiful, handmade objects.

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I've played with nearly every craft on the planet, but when I took my first enameling class at the Featherstone Center for the Arts on Martha's Vineyard (it was a rainy vacation day), something clicked. I actually said it out loud in that class, "This is it. This is my medium." In 2023, I began taking metalsmithing classes to expand my skills, and I fell in love with working in brass, copper, nickel, and sterling silver just as deeply.

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For decades, I've worked as a learning experience designer in higher education. Meaningful work, but my heart has always belonged to jewelry making. My dream is to retire soon and do nothing but create. I'll never forget the first time I drew a design and then made it real. Pure magic.

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I owe so much gratitude to my teachers: Lucinda Sheldon, Gail Bossalini, and Adam Brown. They taught me how to make sparkly things, and more importantly, they taught me that I could.