Please describe your work history/experience since you began metalworking. During the summer after my first semester in my college program, I setup my first home studio work bench in my parents’ garage. This allowed me to continue making jewellery with the knowledge I learned in my first year, I would slowly build my clientele with friends making custom pieces at low prices just to get some experience. My name started to become known in the community and beyond and people started to recognize me as a reputable jeweller. Sudbury, Ontario is a small city with not many hands-on jewellers making custom pieces. I slowly started to see the demand for custom jewellery increase and this allowed me to capitalize while making some money on the side that would help pay for my schooling. After I graduated, I found a salesmen job at a local jewellery store in the mall. This really helped me on the sales side of the business while gaining confidence to talk to clients. What I realized with a big chain jewellery store, was the lack of quality in the craftsmanship as well as lower quality stone setting due to the mass production of each piece. This gave me good insight on where I wanted to place my focus, which was quality over quantity. After completing the stone setting course in Belgium, I immediately started doing trade work for other jewellers. I would set many stones every single day to sharpen my skills as a setter while applying my new techniques. This made me a much more confident setter. When creating a new piece of work, what process do you go through? When I started my jewellery business, I wanted to be original. I wanted people to see my work and understand the quality and time that went into every single piece. The originality of the design is also important while the complexity is what will set it apart from others. When I create an M.C. Original, I really go in-depth, breaking down every detail. This also pushes my abilities and capabilities in my creations. Some centre gemstones I purchase from other artists are often the start to a creative design and building of a piece complimentary to the stone. Additionally, sometimes I draw some ideas that come to mind and I then create the piece without any involvement from clients. In my option, these are often my best works of art where my mind isn’t influenced by anything external. I also focus on creating custom pieces for my clients where their ideas are incorporated into my designs. In the first meeting with a client, we sit down and do a rough sketch of the ideas the client is interested in. After a rough sketch is approved by the client, I use CAD software to design the piece providing a full 3D render design of what the piece will look like. The design is then cast into metal. I then clean up the casting to get it ready to be set with stones. These stones are precisely set by hand with the most advanced techniques to provide the best results possible. The piece is then polished and delivered to the client.
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