A Class Above the Rest

Details

Design

Sunday, 19 September 2010 06:55

By D Francis

A stroll through the The Goldsmitty with manager Hans Smit proves that the owner’s talk of class, unique taste, quality, and professionalism matches his walk, so to speak.

Smith spoke candidly with Caribarena.com about how he got to this point, and his goals and aspirations to continue providing clients with quality products and services.

He attended the Academy of Modern Arts in Holland, and studied mainly jewelry making, covering other areas such as art and sculpting. "As soon as I got the first chance I left the country," he said. "I went to the Mediterranean and built an art gallery where I did mostly painting and sculpting. There I met a US couple who was on summer vacation, and coincidentally they were the then managers of the Admirals Inn, and they told me about Antigua. Back then, I never heard about Antigua. The Caribbean, yes, but not Antigua, and they invited me to come visit.”

His next stop was South Hampton, on a first class ship called the Irpinia. "I sailed for 70 days, met a bunch of young people, had a ball, and Antigua was its last stop, and here I am up to this day,” he said.

He sailed for a while, and eventually got back into painting, then also opened a bar in English Harbour called the Fallen Angel. He left that, started painting again, then found an old powder magazine which was in ruins, got a lease on it, opened his first studio making jewelry on commission.

One day, a writer from Gourmet Magazine came over and expressed an interest in writing about him. This article opened up doors, as people came from far and wide to “meet and greet” him and his work.

About a year later, things really took off for him - 1981 to be exact.

The Goldsmitty has a unique touch, demonstrated by the jewelry showcased in the store, with its workshop nearby.               

Smit commended his small, dedicated staff, who have been with him for many years.

As for what makes his jewelry “a cut above the rest” he said, "They are organic, the texture is unique, not mass-produced, all designed by me and made locally at the workshop. Organic forms are used in combination with designs sculpted first in wax, and later cast in 14 or 18 karat gold. Also, I do a lot of travelling to places like Brazil and Namibia to get these precious stones I use to make my jewelry. In the case of Namibia, I get flawless rough tourmaline. I bought the crystals and have them specially cut. As you noticed in the shop there are quite a number of these precious stones on display right beside the finished product (jewelry).”

He shared the process behind one of his jewelry collections, using a local plant - the bread and cheese bush. "At the Goldsmitty, we take the actual flower-buds of the bush, and in a process similar to the lost-wax method, we burn out the organic material and replace it with solid 14 karat gold,” Smit explained.

The name bread and cheese is thought to have come from the edible pods which children used as sandwiches during play.

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