Meet Annie Caspi | Metalsmith

We had the good fortune of connecting with Annie Caspi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Annie, what are you inspired by?
The majority of my jewelry pieces are inspired by my childhood home, Tucson, Arizona. I take inspiration from the desert landscape (purple mountains, firey sunsets, majestic saguaros), and southwestern/ western love of rodeo (horses, cowboy boots, bolos, silver, etc.). Some designs transpire after seeing a particular gem or mineral… it’ll inspire the piece it becomes, or vice versa- I have a design in mind and seek out the perfect stone to match the piece. At times, my kids will also inspire the design. For example, the sunset rock climbing series was inspired by my weekends spent hanging at the bouldering gym with my family.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m most proud of my sunset collections. I utilize fire orange Montana agates as a transparent canvas to represent a sunset silhouette. This way you can carry an Arizona sunset with you wherever you go. All pendants and earrings are reversible and can be worn with the agate side forward facing, or with the scene (saguaro, horse, mountain, etc.) forward- facing. Hold them up to the light, and they light up like a sunset with a peek- a-boo style transparent setting.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take them for some amazing sushi at Iroha Sushi of Tokyo in Studio City, after a morning of hiking in Malibu. We’d also grab beer and pizza in Van Nuys at MacLeod’s. If it’s a hot day, we’d go indoor rock climbing at Cliffs of ID in Culver City, followed by shopping and lunch at Platform. I also wouldn’t let them leave town before having Oaxacan style Mexican food at Guelaguetza.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are many people who deserve credit in supporting me and my art along the way. Just to name a few…

The Crested Saguaro Society- My business is named after the crowned jewels of the Sonoran desert- the mysterious Crested Saguaro. In honor of that, I’d like to give a shout out to the society that is dedicated to finding, documenting and protecting them. They share my great love for the strange mutant saguaros, and are the reason I began crafting a few styles of actual crested saguaro jewelry pieces and bolo ties. Hand sawing the organic twists and curls of a crest into a sheet of silver is meditative and gives me immense joy.

Rio Grande- Learning to forge with fire alone has been a bit of a challenge for me. I tend to get nervous working with combustible gasses and wanted to be sure I was following all the best possible safety protocols. The amazing tech team at Rio Grande has spent hours on the phone with me, holding my hand through the set up and safe use of my oxygen/ propane torch. I am forever grateful for them and the confidence they have given me in the ability to metalsmith safely.

And of course my family… My husband, kids and my parents have been my biggest supporters and cheer leaders while pursuing this new adventure and pivot in life.

Website: https://thecrestedsaguaro.com

Instagram: @thecrestedsaguaro