Yager gained national acclaim in the 1980s by combining her uniquely textured pillow-forms of 18k gold and sterling silver with water-polished natural stones, 
a juxtaposition that shocked some viewers.

Many of the rocks and pebbles were collected while she was a student at RISD.

Initially she used the rocks that she found as inspirations for the forms she was creating for her jewelry.
In 1983, recognizing the "incomparable beauty found in nature", she began to include the rocks themselves in her "Rock Necklace" series.

An example of this work is Rock Necklace with Ridge (1987), made of sterling silver and a gray beach rock, now in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian.
Yager's jewelry of this period was 
exhibited and sold in both the New York trade shows and the American Craft Council wholesale/retail shows.
It was published widely and commercially successful, and popularized tools and techniques by influencing other artists.
Yager gained national acclaim in the 1980s by combining her uniquely textured pillow-forms of 18k gold and sterling silver with water-polished natural stones, 
a juxtaposition that shocked some viewers. 
Many of the rocks and pebbles were collected while she was a student at RISD. 
Initially she used the rocks that she found as inspirations for the forms she was creating for her jewelry. In 1983, recognizing the "incomparable beauty found in nature", she began to include the rocks themselves in her "Rock Necklace" series.
An example of this work is Rock Necklace with Ridge (1987), made of sterling silver and a gray beach rock, now in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian. Yager's jewelry of this period was 
exhibited and sold in both the New York trade shows and the American Craft Council wholesale/retail shows. It was published widely and commercially successful, and popularized tools and techniques by influencing other artists.
Jan Yager