Biwa Pearl Ring - 14K Holly Blue Amethyst Iolite Necklace - Sterling Holly Blue Bangle - Sterling Triple Flare Earrings - 14K Black Onxy Ring with Leaves - Ster

Peggie Calamé Peggie Calamé Jewelry (503) 655-3523 peggie@peggiecalame.com PeggieCalameJewelry.com PeggieCalameJewelry.etsy.com I learned to make jewelry by being in the right place at the right time. In college my major was music, with a lot of art classes thrown in wherever possible. During my last year of school, I was hired to manage a small, independent custom-design jewelry store in Los Gatos, California. One of the owners was a master goldsmith from Scotland and he offered to teach me jewelry making if I was interested. It’s now thirty years later, and I’m still interested. Since my first days as an apprentice, I have learned and perfected many skills used in crafting jewelry. Some require careful concentration or quiet, contemplative focus, such as stone setting or carving a design in wax. I like them all, but my favorite techniques are those used to work directly in metal. I love bending, shaping, and most of all, forging the metal on anvils. I like the sound, the feel of the hammer in my hand, the way the metal can be moved or flattened or patterned by the hammer strokes. It’s unfortunate that not everyone enjoys the sound of metal being hammered. It’s not something you can do at midnight, if you live near other people. Most of my creative inspiration comes from simply working. I always love the piece I’m currently working on; whether it’s a one-of-a-kind ring, or a link necklace I’ve made a dozen times, I truly enjoy the process of making jewelry. And I’m excited about the possibility that new concepts might jump out at me as I’m working. As long as I remain open to new ways of seeing old or familiar shapes, I’ll never run out of ideas and jewelrymaking will always be joyful. After all these years, I still look forward to spending the day at my bench!