BEKE

“My adoration for jewelry began when I was a kid. My mom would always bring back catalogs, kind of like the ones department stores hand out, from her trips to Germany. Whenever I would open one, I would flip to the pages with jewelry and I’d look at the pictures for hours on end. Fast forward a few decades, I left Transylvania, raised my kids, and was pursuing a new life in Canada. I initially started out making jewelry as a hobby but I found myself yearning to know more and broaden my horizons. I enrolled myself into the Jeweller program offered at George Brown College. At first I was confused. My professors gave me the tasks of making bowls and utensils. It turns out I made the rookie mistake and mixed up the two terms ‘silversmith’ and ‘goldsmith’. After transferring into the goldsmith classes, I fell madly in love with every aspect of jewelry making. My love quickly turned into the realization that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I knew that I didn't want to make anything that I’d seen before or that looked like any other mass-produced item. All my pieces are made in my studio by me. I take my time to cut out the silver, or the gold, solder the required pieces into place, file, polish and inspect.” Monica Emoke Gennaro Founder