Sarah McCulloch is the owner and creative talent behind Sarah McCulloch Designs, a jewelry business based in El Sobrante, California. Her earrings and necklaces are pierced out of silver and copper. At 16, Sarah began making jewelry using the tools of her grandfather, a retired mechanic. She has been designing and crafting jewelry ever since. She is a graduate of the Gemological Institute of Ameri
ca with a certificate in Jewelry Manufacturing Arts. She has worked as a bench jeweler for the wholesale manufacturer Van Craeynest in San Francisco, which specializes in die-stamped, Old World jewelry. Her own designs reflect her fascination with indigenous jewelry-making traditions from Asia, which she studied early on in her career. In the 1990s, she was awarded a grant from the Durfee Foundation to research the silversmithing techniques of several minority cultures in rural Guizhou and Yunnan provinces in Southwest China, where she observed the making of elaborate jewelry for a girl's dowry. She received subsequent foundation funds for a trip to Tibet, where she learned about the myths and legends surrounding the dZi bead, which is of sacred significance to the Tibetan people. Sarah went on to live in Tokyo, Japan for six years and studied traditional Japanese metalsmithing techniques at the Kuroki Atelier under the tutelage of Ayako Kuroki, Yoko Kamei and National Living Treasure Mitsuo Masuda. She learned many uniquely Japanese metalsmithing techniques including an inlay technique invented by Masuda-sensei called chidori-ishime zougan. Sarah's metal art designs, inspired by Japanese katagami stencils, have been exhibited in museums and stores in the U.S. and Japan. Sarah launched her company, Sarah McCulloch Designs, in 2010. About the Jewelry
My intention and hope is that my jewelry will remind you that you have a unique spirit and purpose and to let your inner fire come through. Wear a talisman from Sarah McCulloch Designs and Ignite a Fire Within!
