#Gold #Month #Celebrating #Makers #Gem #Gossip #Jewelry #Blog
Jewelry designer, or maker, is a job title for a very small population within our entirely large world – it is one so special for so many reasons. To be a maker, you have to be talented, creative, able to convert ideas into reality and so much more. Every maker has a unique story – their background and influences weave together to form art. The art is fine karat gold jewelry! My favorite thing!
I feel so lucky to have this opportunity each year to interview six different makers of my choosing to get to know them a bit better, to feature their karat gold jewelry they create, and learn why and how each prefers to work with such a fine metal. As the price of gold continues to soar, I know the talent of these artists will rise above pricing increases. Buyers want to connect with artists who pour their heart and soul into pieces. They want to put their money toward gold jewelry that is handcrafted with care vs. made in a factory. And the price of gold will never overrule this.
I’m excited to show and share with my audience these six makers for May is Gold Month, and get their take on this precious metal we all love to celebrate each May – GOLD!
Our May Is Gold Month features have kicked off this week and every Wednesday there will be a featured maker interview posted on my Instagram account. Every maker in this feature uses karat gold within their designs and has agreed to voice their take on this special metal. Hope you enjoy!
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Palm Sunday
How is karat gold important in your work?
I think it goes back to when I first started to think about making jewelry. I was first inspired to do that when we were traveling in Greece and Italy and we saw all of the ancient jewelry in their museums. It was all still so beautiful and golden; it looked like it had been made yesterday despite being thousands of years old. When we came back from those trips, that’s when I started to play around with metal and that has since been my inspiration: to make jewelry that looks like maybe it came out of an archaeological dig – that it could be modern, but but it could also be a thousand years old.
It’s also important to me to give my customers something that they’re going to invest in and it’s going to either keep its value or increase in value. Gold is indestructible, so I love they can pass it down to future generations, and who knows, maybe one day their jewelry will end up in a museum.
Why do you like working with karat gold?
I love working with gold because I tend to have a really heavy hand. When I first started out making jewelry, I was working with silver and I would keep the torch on it too long and it would melt. Or I would hammer it in the wrong spot and it would bend completely out of shape. I like that 14 karat gold is pretty sturdy and forgiving so I can have that heavy hand and not have to worry about either accidentally melting it when I’m soldering or possibly hammering in the wrong spot. And then, when I give it to my customers, they’re going to be able to wear it every day and not have to worry about it bending out of shape or scratching too easily (or having to polish it all the time!). So it’s really nice that I can have my heavy hand when I’m making jewelry and my customers can also have a “heavy hand” when they’re wearing it every day.
Learn more about Palm Sunday here.
DMD Metal
How is karat gold important in your work?
For me, gold is transcendent on so many levels. It holds value for generations. It is a material that has a special place for many ceremonial and spiritual events. Of all the precious metals, gold in particular has so much lore and magic and mystery behind it. Goldsmiths were associated with shamans in certain cultures. Much of my work was born out of ancient techniques, involving reverse carving and lost wax casting, so the use of gold makes that connection important to me.
Why do you like working with karat gold?
It’s such a durable and malleable metal for jewelry. A lot of my work has cast components, which are easier to cast and reproduce fine detail in gold, as opposed to platinum. Its natural color and luster creates a perfect complement to almost any color of diamond and gemstone. Beyond that, it’s a material that I can be expressive with beyond just creating a simple frame for a gemstone. Even after working with it for years, I am still figuring out new ways to bring out its range of luster through texture and engraving techniques. In some pieces, like my composition rings, I am trying to build an almost hidden visual narrative with a range of surface finishes. Oftentimes, I am combining those finishes to play off gemstone shapes or areas of pavé or pierced areas. I am endlessly on the search for new combinations of sparkle and detail.
Learn more about DMD Metal here.
Casey Perez Jewelry
How is karat gold important in your work?
Gold has been part of human history for thousands of years, and I love that when I work with it, I’m stepping into that lineage. It’s still valued today for many of the same reasons it always has been — because it lasts, because it carries meaning, because it endures. And even with all the modern tools available now, the fundamental ways we with gold haven’t really changed. Techniques like casting, setting, and soldering have been used for centuries. That kind of continuity really resonates with me. It reminds me that I’m part of something bigger — a long line of makers who’ve used this same material to create pieces meant to hold memory and meaning. And there’s something about the physical weight of gold, too. It’s got some heft — when you pick up a gold piece, you don’t just see it, you feel it. That weight gives the piece a presence and a permanence that I really love.
Why do you like working with karat gold?
Gold has always felt different to work with—not only because of its value, but because of the meaning it holds. Across time and cultures, people have turned to gold to mark what matters: commitment, celebration, memory. It feels like an honor to be part of that tradition.
When I first started making jewelry, I couldn’t afford to work with gold, but it was something I very much aspired to one day. So when I finally had the opportunity to create with it, it felt like an important milestone. Even now, working with gold makes me slow down, be intentional, and really consider every aspect of what I’m creating—from the structure of the design to the smallest details in how it’s finished and polished.
Beyond that, there’s so much I appreciate about the material itself. The warmth and richness of gold’s color and the subtle differences you see depending on the karat. I also love how gold wears over time, gathering small marks and scuffs that only add to its character. And the fact that gold is endlessly recyclable—that you can melt it down and transform it into something new—gives it a sense of renewal and continuity that’s really meaningful to me.
All of that makes working with gold incredibly rewarding. It’s a material that holds onto the care and thought you put into it, carrying those decisions forward for generations.
Learn more about Casey Perez Jewelry here.
DeForrest Fine
How is karat gold important in your work?
Gold is important in my work because when I decided to start my own line after being a bench jeweler for many years I knew almost immediately that what I wanted to create was fine high end jewelry. To me that means working in gold. The first few pieces I made for DeForrest Fine were in silver and as my following started to rapidly grow I realized I need to switch gears immediately to ensure I was attracting the right clientele, collectors of fine jewelry. I took the risk and ordered my first batch of gold and decided to just go all in on my business to see just how successful I could make it. Ill never forget selling my first piece of and having the realization that I had a real chance of making this happen, of having my own line and being able to make a living doing the thing I’d wanted to do since I was a little girl. I strive to create pieces that people will treasure forever and that will hopefully become family heirlooms. Having a piece that will never tarnish, that will hold or increase in value over time, that is expertly crafted and set with rare or much sought after gemstones makes gold the only choice in my mind.
Why do you like working with karat gold?
Like probably every jeweler out there I am seduced by the materials we get to work with. I’ve worked with every metal out there and nothing compares to gold, especially 18k yellow or higher, its just such a clean beautiful material to work with. It solders beautifully, pierces wonderfully and engraving 18k yellow is so effortless it can feel like you’re engraving butter. There is a real tactile pleasure I get out of working with gold because of these things. I love how all of the different finishes look on yellow gold and that is another thing that is really fun to experiment with. Having worked with everything from copper to silver, to platinum and bronze, gold, specifically yellow gold is the obvious choice for me and most fine jewelers because of the properties I just listed. There is really no other option in my mind.
Learn more about DeForrest Fine here.
Bruce NYC
How is karat gold important in your work?
Gold is at the heart of everything I create. It’s not just a beautiful material — it carries a sense of permanence, meaning, and history that aligns deeply with how I want people to experience my jewelry.
When I first started my business, I didn’t have much extra money, but I knew I wanted to create a solid gold jewelry collection — something lasting and meaningful. I made one piece, and when it sold, I could make the next. I built it slowly, piece by piece, being scrappy and resourceful and trusting that my love for the material and the craft would carry me forward, eventually building into a full collection.
Sustainability is also at the core of my business, so I work exclusively with solid, recycled, and fair-mined 14k and 18k gold. As a material, it has an incredible ability to be renewed without ever losing its integrity, which means the pieces I make can last for generations without putting new strain on the environment.
I see each piece as part of a bigger story — connecting the past, present, and future — and gold is the perfect medium for that kind of lasting connection. It holds both emotional and intrinsic value. It wears beautifully over time, developing a soft, natural patina that adds depth and richness. It becomes more personal the longer it’s worn. It’s warm, it glows, and has a quiet strength that makes people feel something when they wear it.
Why do you like working with karat gold?
There’s a soulfulness to gold that I’ve never found in any other material. I love how it feels — its warmth, its weight, the way it’s soft and solid at the same time – both when I’m working it and wearing it. It’s so responsive and malleable, yielding beautifully to heat and pressure, then the finished piece is powerful and lasting. That balance of fluidity and durability deeply inspires my craft.
Working with gold also challenges me as a maker in the best way — compared to other metals, it’s more forgiving and consistent to work with but it also demands precision and respect. It offers endless opportunities for exploration and allows me to create pieces that feel substantial, personal, and rooted in longevity.
There’s also something about the weight of gold that I just love. Solid gold jewelry doesn’t just look good — it feels good. I’m a stickler for keeping my pieces completely solid — I never hollow them out. To me, the weight and integrity of a piece are as essential as its design. When you hold it, you can feel that it’s meant to last.
Gold has a rich, grounded presence that makes the jewelry more than just an object. It invites an emotional connection. It doesn’t shout; it endures. And it’s the kind of material you can keep learning from, no matter how long you’ve been working with it.
Learn more about Bruce NYC here.
This sponsored post was brought to you in collaboration with May Is Gold Month.
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