Magderie Klugman was born in a small mining town in South Africa, where her father was a Geologist in the gold mines. She moved to the United States in 2001, it is in Atlanta, GA that she started her career in jewelry making. Wendy Tonsits was her first metalsmithing tutor and she started Magderie’s relationship with Silversmithing. She did various workshops to master many different techniques. Sh
e did a workshop at the Rio Grande campus in Albuquerque, NM in basic enameling and she discovered the art of cloisonné enameling. Cloisonné Enameling is an ancient technique for decorating metal, one finds examples of it in Ancient Egypt in the jewels of the Pharaohs. Thin fine silver or 24KY gold wires are fused onto a fine silver or gold base plate with fine grains of glass to make cells. The cells are then filled with thin layers of fine grains of glass and each layer is fired in a kiln at 1500oF until the enamel reaches the top of the fused wires. The piece is then refined and prepared to be set in a bezel setting. It is a tedious but very fulfilling technique with awe inspiring results. Ricky Frank an instructor and master in cloisonné enameling has been a major influence in her life, not only as an instructor but also as a friend and mentor. Magderie gets her inspiration from the colors in nature, the colors generated by the Aurora Borealis fascinate and inspire her. In 2013 she relocated to Seattle, WA where Dale Chihuly is a well-known local glass artist, he has a permanent exhibition at the Chihuly Garden and Glass, where she also finds inspiration in his work and the exhibits.
