Albert Zuger

Here is a steel and gold wedding band midway through the process of creation.  You can see the hand forged bar the steel component is cut from underneath the ring.  Right now I’m checking the pattern in the steel to make sure it’s just right before moving on to the next step.  You can see a hint of the pattern that will later reveal itself, but I only etched it for a few minutes, so it isn’t as pronounced as it is in the bar underneath.  Tomorrow I’m going to join the gold and steel together and then I can remount the ring in my lathe and shape the steel to its final dimensions.  Once that is done, I’ll work the gold up around the edges and do all of the finish hammering and the final etching of the steel. 

Diamond, gold, and shibuichi engagement ring complete!  The client and I looked to antiquity for inspiration and we aimed for a sense of refined barbarism.  It was a fun project as the end product is truly one-of-a-kind.  The textured, blackened setting really sets off the light in the diamond and the shimmer of the gold.

This week and next I am working exclusively on a number of wedding ring commissions.  My forge has been hot, and I’ve been welding up both damascus steel, and meteorite iron to incorporate into some original works along with gold and maybe some platinum.  I’ll be taking more photos and posting them very soon!

Alexander Calder’s jewelry never ceases to amaze me.  Not only is it whimsical, fun, sophisticated and beautiful, but we rarely hear too much about Calder as a jewelry designer.  This photo of Anjelica Huston was taken in 1940 and pictures her wearing one of my favorite of Calder pieces - the Jealous Husband!  Calder’s jewelry career spanned his lifetime and I look forward to sharing more of my inspiration from his oeuvre with you over time…

It’s been a lot of fun working on this custom sterling medium silver cuff.  I was thrilled to see that a good polishing gave the surface a water-like feel that reflects light beautifully.

Engagement ring in process:  The groom’s family provided an heirloom gold necklace with a solitaire diamond pendant to transform into the ring for his bride-to-be.  The diamond will be incorporated into a a blackened shibuichi setting that will be worked into the pictured band.  Behind the ring is the remainder of what was melted down, and rolled out, from the necklace chain.  Check back to see the play of colors between the diamond, blackened shibuichi, and gold.

Albert Zuger Jewelry was featured on Coolhunting last week and the response to my work has been overwhelmingly great!  Thanks to everyone for your interest and keep your eyes peeled for new blog entries to come as I fill orders and develop new designs!

During my recent trip to New York, I spent a day in the photo studio with the very talented Kipp Wettstein.  Not only Kipp take amazing photos of my work, but he taught me a number of tricks to make my own look sharp as well.  Check out his work at: www.kippwettstein.com

At the end of March, I had the pleasure of throwing a trunk show at the Conde Nast offices in New York.  Not only was it a lot of fun, but I learned a lot from all of the very stylish staff.