OUR CRAFT
Our jewelry is an expression of all the elements that inspire us ~ a reinterpretation of the designs of ancient cultures with a contemporary twist.
It's drawn from a broad spectrum of design, in both the natural world and in cultures throughout history. An eclectic collection of
unique hand-crafted pieces ~ a timeless fusion of current trends and diverse cultures (from the contemporary, to the classical and
refined, to the ancient and primitive.
We hand-craft rings, bracelets, earrings, pendants, and necklaces, many of which are one-of-a-kind, for both women and men. We
work with a wide range of materials; and in addition to the traditional techniques of metallurgy, we employ ancient techniques from around the world.
The way we see it, BEAUTY HAS NO SENSE OF TIME
OUR STORY
Over the past 35 years, we've been developing skills and techniques
in the art of jewelry design and fabrication
For 26 of those years, we owned an award-winning store in San Francisco ~ which gained local and international recognition for its diverse and unique collection of jewelry. Showcasing over 400 local, national and international jewelry artisans from around the globe, it was voted Best Jewelry Store in the Bay Area throughout its history. Singled out for its excellence by local publications (San Francisco Chronicle, Bay Guardian, and S.F.Weekly), as well as national and international guidebooks to San Francisco, it was featured yearly in Frommer's Guide to San Francisco as one of the best places in the Bay Area to shop for jewelry.
OUR WORK
Here now, in San Diego for the past ten years, our inspiration has found an avenue for expression. We’ve had the opportunity to apply the techniques we’ve learned during our years at the store ~ an outpouring that’s produced a vast, varied collection of unique, handcrafted pieces. In our work, we like to interpret and interweave all the diverse elements that inspire us. Our jewelry has a timeless quality ~ drawn from a broad spectrum of design, from ancient to classical to contemporary, a fusion of current trends and historic influences. And we’ve been gratified by the response to our work, from a wide audience.
OUR MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES
The rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings we make ~ many of which are one-of-a-kind ~ are hand-fabricated, for both women and men. We work with a wide range of materials ~ precious and semi-precious metals, stones and pearls (many of them, rare), leathers, neoprene, glass and shells. Our special techniques include ancient processes of metalwork from the Far East (Shakudo and Shibuichi from Japan, Kumbo from Korea); and fusing of metals through a unique process that joins them together without the use of solder; alloying of metals (sterling, gold, bronze and copper); lapidary (cutting and polishing from rough stone); mining (some of the stones we use have been mined by us, like opal from the deserts of Nevada); mold-making for casting designs. All these, in addition to all the usual techniques of silver- and gold-smithing: fabricating, stone setting, soldering, riveting, wire-wrapping and assembly.
We make new designs every week. We’ll work with you to design custom pieces.
Feel free to contact us by email or phone if you’d like us to send you additional photos of our work.
Thank you! We hope you enjoy our work.
Tony Stendardo & Joan Tessler
jewelsandcompany@hotmail.com
jewelsandco@gmail.com
