About Me
Writing an "About Me" has never come easy for me—I’ve always preferred to let my work speak for itself. But here’s my best shot.
I've always been drawn to working with my hands and staying active. In my early 20s, I spent seven years as a Wildland Firefighter, a career I thrived in. Being out in the woods, protecting our forests and people’s homes, was deeply fulfilling. However, after meeting my future wife, I realized the demands of that job placed too much strain on relationships, so I decided it was time for a new adventure.
Wanting to continue helping others, I went back to college and earned a Bachelor’s in Nursing. During that time, I began exploring jewelry making as a hobby. A few years in, my passion for jewelry grew, and I was fortunate enough to apprentice under an incredible Master Goldsmith.
After completing my degree and earning my RN license, I made a life-changing decision. Jewelry was my true calling. I also wanted to be a stay-at-home dad, and this path allowed me to pursue both. That was ten years ago, and I’ve been running my custom jewelry business for the past nine and a half years without looking back.
I believe jewelry should reflect the individual—it’s more than something you wear, it’s something that tells a story. I strive to make each piece extraordinary, tailored to the person who will cherish it.
My expertise spans hand-fabrication, CAD design, casting, lost wax techniques, stone setting, and many other aspects of jewelry creation.
Specialties:
Do you do custom work?
-Yes! I definitely make custom jewelry for clients. I like to have a mix of available pendants, rings and chains available to the general public, but also take on commission work. Usually my customs list is a few months long, however.
Can I get certain jewelry items in various metal types and gemstone types?
-You most definitely can get some of my items in various metal types and gemstone types. Depending on the design, I can create them in silver, gold and platinum ( I also work with palladium on a custom basis). I have access to some of the best quality gemstones around and can source almost anything in any size that you are looking for!
What type of methods do you use when creating your jewelry?
I use a wide variety of techniques when making jewelry. I have years of experience in hand-fabrication, hand-forging metals, CAD design, stone setting and finish work.
Hand-fabrication means I take various metal components, shape them, solder/fuse them together and set stones to finish the piece of jewelry.
Hand-forge means I actually mix precisely calculated metals and alloys, melt them to down to create different metal components from scratch. I then use hand fabrication techniques to finish the job.
CAD design means I use my computer to design a piece of jewelry. Often times I use this method when I want the utmost precision for the build. Usually, the design process itself takes as long or longer than hand-fabrication as I am pretty particular in my computer designs. Once the jewelry piece has been created via CAD, it is grown in a cast-able resin from a 3D printer and placed in a plaster mold. Once the mold hardens, it is put in a kiln and the resin is melted out leaving the exact form of the piece of jewelry. Then, molten metal is poured into this mold, cooled, removed and finished using a variety of methods.
Are you ever going to take on apprentices?
I wish! Currently I am not taking on apprentices. Although I would love to, I don't have the proper resources or time to teach anyone in person. I am always happy to impart some knowledge online, though. Also, even though I have thousands on thousands of hours of experience, I am learning something new everyday.
Do you sell your work wholesale?
I do! If you are a jewelry boutique, storefront, online presence or anything in between, I am happy to make items available to you at a discount price.
Where do you get all of your gemstones from?
I have spent the better part of 10 years building relationships with gemstone dealers from the individual level to large business level. I take pride in sourcing high quality gemstones and diamonds. I also love super unique gems and try to incorporate them into my jewelry whenever I can.
Can you ship to other countries?
Yes! I can ship to almost any country in the world!
Do you make engagement rings? I don't see any on your website.
I have made quite a lot of engagement and wedding rings for women and men. They are almost always on a custom basis, though. I haven't posted many of them online because most folks don't propose or get married for a few months to a year or so after I finish the piece. I make sure never to post images of them so the client's surprise is a well guarded secret. By the time they propose, although I have images of the rings somewhere, they are usually buried in files and would take quite awhile to dig up.
Where did you learn how to make jewelry?
I taught myself how to do wire work (wire wraps) through trial and error. I created these for a few years and had hundreds of unique items find their forever homes with happy clients. I felt limited, though, and was lucky to obtain a working apprenticeship under a master goldsmith. I left the shop to venture out on my own and have run my own jewelry business for 10x years.Sure! Here’s a refined version of your About Me page:
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