About the Artist: Zachary Androus |
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| I was born and raised in the
United States in Alexandria,
Virginia on
the beautiful and historic Potomac River. I was trained as an
anthropologist at the University of Montana and American University and
have taught anthropology at colleges in the United States and Italy.
When I completed my Master's degree I felt torn between anthropology
and jewelry and asked a professor his opinion on whether I should
pursue a career as an anthropologist or a jeweler. "You should do both"
came his reply, and since then I have been striving to do just that. In
2004 I met
my future wife
in Padova, Italy and moved to Florence, Italy in 2005, where we were
married in 2006. In Florence I work in the historic quarter of San
Niccolo, widely known as the last "authentic" neighborhood in the
historic center. My studio includes architectural details several
hundred years old lovingly preserved alongside recent renovations.
Florence keeps a firm grip on its Renaissance heritage of art and
artistry, and this heritage informs and inspires contemporary artists
and artisans alike. The style of my work is best described as understated contemporary. Excellence in detail is very important to me; my jewelry is wearable art, but I never sacrifice the wearability for the sake of the art, which means I design and fabricate my pieces to be comfortable and durable as well as beautiful and unique. I design every piece of jewelry myself and I fabricate every piece of jewelry entirely be hand. When a piece must be cast I carve the wax by hand and if I make a mold to reproduce a piece I do so in a numbered, limited edition. I use sterling silver and 18 karat gold exclusively and all gemstones are natural and undyed. I am especially fond of rare and unusual stones and often design pieces around unique and unusual ones. I can ship jewelry anywhere of course, but if you are in Florence please contact me and we can arrange to meet at my studio. I also offer private, custom walking tours through my Discover Hidden Florence website. |
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