“I’ve never thought of my jewelry
as trophies. I’m here to take care
of it and to love it, for we are only
temporary custodians of beauty.”
— Elizabeth Taylor
WHEN IT COMES to commemorative treasures, there is nothing quite like a portable precious adornment. The unmatched allure of fine jewelry is
easy to understand on a surface level:
Kristina Saxen of Sausalito’s Lulu Designs Jewelry is an
expert who can answer that question. A longtime jeweler and
recent graduate of Rhode Island School of Design’s prestigious
Jewelry and Metalsmithing program, Saxen has traditional
and contemporary skills in all areas of jewelry-making and
is putting her acquired and natural artistry to use as a design
partner at Lulu. “You need knowledge of metals to successfully
execute specific designs,” says Saxen, who metal-wise works
primarily with 14-karat gold at Lulu, as well as sterling silver.
“If you’re operating on an elementary figure-it-out-as-you-go
level, you’re limited to the constraints of your materials. But
when you learn how to manipulate metals into exactly what
you imagine, the possibilities are really endless.”
While Saxen mastered her craft at school and under the
tutelage of mentors, many metalsmiths follow an even more
traditional path. Jeffrey Levin, a goldsmith and co-owner
of maker-haven The Poet and The Bench in Mill Valley, was
born in South Africa, where the jewelry trade is decidedly
old world. When he decided he wanted to work with metal,
Levin did what Europeans have been doing for centuries: he
spent three years as an apprentice, learning at the bench (a
specialized worktable) alongside a seasoned journeyman,
then became a journeyman himself before striking out on
his own. Interestingly enough, this step-by-step real-world
instruction didn’t exist for jewelers in the United States until
recently. Master goldsmith Keith Bartel of Tiburon is a Marin
native, and after developing a passion for the art form during
a jewelry class at Redwood High School he forged a European-
inspired path of his own. “The master I chose to study with
was Alan Revere, who originally studied in Pforzheim,
Germany,” says Bartel. “I was an apprentice, I was a jour-
neyman, and after four years I started my own business. I’ve
definitely put in the time and acquired the experience to call
myself a master goldsmith.”
So what are these learned metalsmithing skills, exactly?
To describe it simply: metal jewelry pieces are formed either
through casting (creating a master mold from which cop-
ies can be made) or fabrication (cutting and forming a piece
directly out of metal). Most fine jewelers favor fabrication,
allowing for pieces that are truly one-of-a-kind. Knowing
your metal is indeed the first step, confirms Janet Alix of Mill
Valley’s Alix and Company: “We work with sterling silver,
many different karats of yellow gold, white gold, rose gold,
platinum and palladium,” she says. “We’re goldsmiths — we
utilize many materials.” Differences in fine metals go way
beyond aesthetics: Saxen and Lulu work primarily with 14-to-
18k gold, rather than softer higher-karat metal that a simple
bang might more easily scratch. Platinum requires extreme
Opener and this
spread: Tiburon master
goldsmith Keith Bartel
takes a break in his
shop and shows off his
designs and the tools
of the trade.
