Tucson native Annie Guthrie has been selling her handcrafted and often-one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces in upscale boutiques such as Rochelle K and Best Friends for a decade.
Those unique baubles can now be found at The Jewel Smithery, 299 S. Park Ave., a shop Guthrie and business partner Sofie Albertsen Gelb recently opened in the Lost Barrio.
Guthrie's designer jewelry pieces have an Old World flair, the result of her years of studying at Fuji Studios in Florence, Italy. There she learned the wax carving-and-cast technique that makes much of her work unique and intricate. A large percentage of her work is custom.
"I studied under an old master," she says. "He's a dying breed."
Guthrie, who is also a poet and a graphic designer for the Poetry Center at the University of Arizona, describes her style as romantic and feminine and influenced by the world around her. But one of her specialties is crafting custom creations that match the personality of the wearer.
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In the past year, she has begun making custom wedding and engagement rings using fine stones (she's done a diamond ring for as low as $3,000) and the carve-and-cast technique.
They're not inexpensive because of the high-quality materials and personal touches, but Guthrie says she charges less than someone would pay retail for the same value.
She wants to do custom, she says, to re-create the feeling she got from the jewelry makers in Italy.
"They'd spend sometimes months and months getting to know a person," she says. "I really liked that."
To help get the store off the ground, Guthrie took on a partner, Dutch-born Sofie Albertsen Gelb. Albertsen Gelb also does custom work and specializes in enamel. The two women have distinct styles that blend nicely.
Albertsen Gelb got her start in jewelry in Denmark at age 13 with some tutoring from a family friend.
"He used to go to Turkey and make jewelry with the nomads who traveled on camel back," she says. "I went and stayed with him for, like, a week, and he taught me how to solder."
Both Guthrie and Albertsen Gelb work with antiques they find while scouring shops.
"I try to make heirloom-ish pieces," Albertsen Gelb says. "In my (previous) shop, what I did a lot was make rings and pendants out of old vintage pieces that someone has had in their family. I'd make it into an everyday piece to wear."
store hours
• Name: The Jewel Smithery.
• Address: 299 S. Park Ave. in the Lost Barrio.
• Phone: Call 406-5537 to reach Guthrie. Albertsen Gelb's phone number is 270-0715.
• Weekend hours: Noon-4 p.m. Saturdays. Closed Sundays.
• Regular hours: 10 a.m.-4 pm. Wednesdays-Fridays or call for an appointment.
