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 Andrew’s career as a goldsmith and jewelry designer did not follow a traditional path. For most of his professional career, Andrew worked with exotic materials in the realm of science and engineering. Andrew holds B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Metallurgy and Materials Science. And he founded and managed a highly successful advanced materials consulting R&D firm. Through the years, he occasionally created art and jewelry from these high-tech materials.
In the mid-1990's, Andrew considered taking formal jewelry-making courses. But, the demands of running his firm prevented him from pursuing this interest. At the start of the new millennium, two years before selling his business, Andrew made the leap and began taking jewelry-making classes at the Maine College of Art.
Upon retiring and selling his company in 2002, Andrew pushed headlong into jewelry-making with the same dedicated approach that he brought to his former career. In the jewelry studio, Andrew found that he was able to balance his artistic side with his scientific side.
"To me, metalsmithing is more than just the technique of working metals into a desired shape. It is the skillful blending of art and science to create a lasting symbol of one person’s love for another."
Along with additional coursework at the Maine College of Art, Andrew immersed himself in carefully selected intensive jewelry workshops that focus on design and technique. He undertook hundreds of hours of private lessons with master goldsmiths and teachers including Tim McCreight, Pauline Warg, Jean Paterak, Ann Hollerbach, Paulette Werger, Blaine Lewis, Kate Wolf, Phil Piorier, Steve Midgett, and James Binnion.
Adhering to a motto of continuous learning and scientific discovery, Andrew embarked on several collaborative research projects designed to advance the state of the art of jewelry-making for practicing jewelers. These projects provided Andrew with knowledge and experience that made him a better goldsmith.
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