A biologist by training, Phyllis Aldridge Woods (b. 1940) studied physiology and anatomy at Indiana University, and even wrote scientific articles in the early 1960s. However, her love of art, design, and jewelry influenced her subsequent career, to which she devoted her life.

Phyllis Woods and her husband, artist and poet George Welch (b. 1943), opened their studio in Tuscon, Arizona in the early 1970s. In addition to working in the studio, the artists traveled widely, becoming inspired by the ethnic art of West Africa and Morocco. Self-taught jeweler Phyllis Woods translated her impressions into jewelry, which today has become highly collectible.

Phyllis Woods founded her namesake jewelry and home decor company, Phyllis Woods Designs Inc, in May 1982. In 1990, she founded a new company, Tribalinks, to import and wholesale African art and home decor. In addition, under her license, a jewelry company in Thailand produced ethnic silver jewelry. All companies are now inactive.

Woods used a variety of materials to create her jewelry by hand, from copper and pewter to gold and silver. Her later designs, mostly necklaces, also included beads, shells, and gemstones. Woods ethnic jewelry pieces can now be seen in art galleries and museums, including the Museum of Arts and Design in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Phyllis Woods Modernist Ethnic Jewelry