Written By Melissa Reardon
Photographs By Lucy Cuneo
A transplant from Virginia, Weston “Wes” McAfee vividly remembers the first time he saw his future bride-to-be. Charleston native Dana Elaine...
“I love it when couples look for something personal and unique,” says master goldsmith Sarah Amos in her delightful British brogue. A native of Wales, the custom jewelry designer was “always good at making things with my hands,” she says. As an art student, she was drawn to three-dimensional design and silversmithing, and after moving to New York in the early ’70s, she began working with gold. “I was fascinated with ancient Greco-Roman jewelry-making techniques,” says Sarah, who apprenticed and later taught at The Jewelry Arts Institute in Manhattan. One master in particular caught her attention: the famed Robert Kulicke, who helped found the prestigious school. “He was instrumental in reviving techniques like chain-making, granulation, and enamelwork that require precision and accuracy. I love trying to do something that approaches perfection.” Sarah’s designs have a modernized, sculptural, and almost architectural quality. Working exclusively by hand, using no molds or castings, she alloys (or melts) her own 22k gold, because it’s more like the gold that Greco-Roman artisans used and because it allows greater precision than 24k gold. “I keep the craftsmanship as clean as possible and polish the gold as little as possible,” Sarah explains. “I love the way it takes on a patina and develops a life of its own.” These days, Sarah creates her pieces in a sunny atelier overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway. There, in her airy nest of a studio, she enjoys playing matchmaker, that is, helping couples design rings that reflect themselves and their style. Sarah’s rings start at $1,600. To reach her or to see her work, contact Fraser Fox Fine Art, (843) 723-0073 or www. fraserfoxfineart.com.
