Discover Our Story
Get To Know Us
We are a husband and wife duo passionate about sharing the beauty of jewelry-making. We founded Metals & Gems Jewelry Studio in order to share our love of metalsmithing with others. Abb inherited her family's love of fine jewelry and has been interested in it since she was a child. Her father and his brothers weren't interested in the trade, but Abb couldn't help but follow the footsteps of her grandparents. She went on to study jewelry appraisal and diamond grading in the Philippines and continued to study jewelry design at GIA (Gemological Institute of America). She then launched her own line when she came back to the Philippines.
As her family grew, she had to prioritize. Her passion for designing jewelry was still there; however, it had to take a backseat. That was why she would occasionally have pieces made and sell it to extended family and friends. But the cost was too high at times. From then on, she wished she had someone whom she could trust and who would understand what she wanted done.
Chad is a qualified jeweler and has a Certificate III in Jewelry Manufacture from Australia. Through hard work, passion and dedication, he has risen from humble beginnings to become a successful goldsmith. Prior to being a jeweler, Chad was an executive in his family's business. At age 40, he felt that he needed a change from his career, so he left the family business and decided to be that someone his wife wished she had--a successful goldsmith with time for her and for their family.
Despite the challenges, in 2018 we built our first studio beside our house by converting our children's playhouse which we call the Kubo. It did not have access to water or an air conditioner so we stored water in containers. At night, insects often visited because the Kubo did not have screen windows. it was not well maintained - it's like working in a sauna during summer and damp and humid during rainy season. We could not accept that this was the only way to do it so we explored how jewelry-making is practiced in other countries.
Our Purpose
The art of jewelry-making or metalsmithing has been a craft for centuries. Although it is constantly evolving, we can see that the skills and practices are slowing progressing in our country.
As we dive further, we learned that there are better ways to make jewelry, and we discovered that these methods had to be shared .That is why we have decided to make it our purpose to teach people how to craft beautiful pieces and share our craft with others.
Our Commitment To Our Passion
In 2019, we opened our new studio at the Kubo. It's fitted with modern equipment and tools to encourage creativity, and it's a great place for everyone to learn.
As jewelry makers, we are committed to continuous education and practice so that our skills can be constantly refined. We are also committed to sharing what we know with our students, thus enabling them to improve as well.
We work with Australian Master Jeweller and Educator Peter Keep, who has created a popular online learning platform for hobbyists and professionals.
Through this site (www.jewellerytrainingsolutions.com.au) we are able to offer hundreds of courses for everyone from beginners to experienced jewelers.
