Emmy MacKenzie, Artist's Bio
- Classical Training
- I made my first lost wax casting piece in a high school art class, but it wasn't until almost ten years later that I began working professionally as a bench jeweler.
- In the 1980s I received classical training in traditional goldsmithing techniques in Vancouver Canada where I studied at the Vancouver Vocational tech school and apprenticed as a bench jeweler.
- In 1989 I returned to the San Francisco Bay area and took a job as a bench jeweler at Alan Revere's wholesale production studio. Following that, I worked as a bench jeweler at a high-end North Beach retail jewelry art gallery.
- I've taken workshops from Dunconor Workshops in Salida, Colorado and from the Revere academy in San Francisco.
- Boulder Creek Studio
- In 1992 I moved to Boulder Creek, in the Santa Cruz mountains, and opened my own studio. It's a lovely location not far from San Jose, and midway between Saratoga and Santa Cruz.
- I do all the jewelry work myself. Everything I make is handmade by me! I carve my own wax. I do my own casting. I do my own stone-setting and finishing. I take pride in making unique high-quality clean jewelry. You can see more pictures of me at work here.
- I believe that buying jewelry is very personal, and I believe that it can still be personal even over the internet.
- Over the years, working in retail, or in a production shop, taking classes from professional instructors or picking up tips from fellow jewelers, I have always found something new to learn. That's what keeps it fun and interesting. And beyond the technical tricks, there is a spiritual lesson: be true to yourself, make art, and make it well!