Allow me to introduce myself. I have been a Flagstaff resident for over thirty years, and after a vocational travel hiatus, I am happy to return to the Peaks, Ponderosas, and People I call home. My professional endeavors have now led me to a new venture that I am excited to share with the Flagstaff community and beyond.
I began a collegiate metalsmithing education at Edinboro University, continued at Arizona State University, and eventually graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Jewelry/Metalsmithing from Northern Arizona University. Several years later, I returned to N.A.U. to pursue a second degree, and graduated cum laude with a Master’s in Education.
In January of 1999, I began my career as a professional bench jeweler, working for local fine jewelry establishments such as Wil McNabb Fine Jewelry, Frederick Fisher Jewelers, and Jim Anderson Jewelers. Summer of 2019, I was offered the opportunity to be employed as a Master Craftsman/Jeweler for Dana Augustine Inc., a national remount and design company. Over the duration of 4 years, I performed customized jewelry modifications and advanced stone settings in a public forum across 30 states. These events were implemented in the corporate jewelry industry, hosted by Helzberg Diamonds, Kay Jewelers, Jared Galleria, Zales, and notable independents. I received many accolades, including their prestigious Jewelers Platinum Award.
On the subject of materials, I’ve experienced a plethora over the majority of my life. Attending secondary school in Pennsylvania, I was already casting jewelry in sterling silver and performing my own lapidary work from semi- precious stone slab that I obtained from the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. This head start, along with a general strong emphasis in the arts, paved way to acceptance at Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts, a state funded scholarship program for intensive study. Here I chose a Sculpture emphasis where I learned to cut, hammer, and weld mild steel. Collegiate jewelry/ metalsmithing classes returned me to silver, but also copper for drafting silverware sets and exploring techniques such as repousse, mokume gane, press forming, enameling, and raising. Sculpture classes allowed me to revisit welding steel, but also casting aluminum (with some TIG!). Flagstaff welcomed me with open arms by providing me with my first job here at Bronzesmith Foundry, an Arizona icon in the casting of large bronze sculptures and statues. Becoming a professional bench jeweler, I was introduced to working extensively with gold and platinum and learned stone setting of all sizes and shapes of gems. And this was just the beginning….
Returning to Flagstaff and my beloved studio, where I have been creating custom jewelry for clients from all over the U.S. and beyond for 7 years (yes, even on my down time from the road!), I am excited to share my workspace, tools, and knowledge with those eager to learn, or are just plain curious. I’m looking forward to seeing all of the designs you’ve been wishing to create, and your surprise in birthing the things you never imagined!
~Sedge