Elsa Freund (1912- 2001) was a mostly self-taught jeweler. She was born in Branson, Missouri where she was influenced by the natural beauty of the Ozarks. In the 1940s, after teaching school and working at odd jobs, she started making jewelry.  Her "stones" were made by firing clay with pulverized bits of glass. Freund was an "intuitive modernist" who, though she had not seen the work of other modernist jewelers, wrapped her stones in free-form designs that are reminiscent of the work of New York jeweler, Sam Kramer. In 1949, Freund moved to Florida where she began placing her work in shops in Fort Lauderdale, Sarasota and St. Amand's Key.  Later, she also sold her work at America House in New York. 

Freund became a major figure in the studio jewelry movement of the mid-20th century and her work is in the permanent collections of many museums throughout the U.S. and abroad. (from my book, Form & Function, American Studio Jewelry, 1940 - 1970, pages 144-145)

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