Member Spotlight

Growing up in Kalamazoo, Julie always had an interest in rocks and jewelry. “My interest came from my dad. He was a lapidary hobbyist and made silver jewelry. I remember rockhounding with him when I was young, but he passed away at age 39. I was 16. With his tools, his rock collection and instruction from a kind hearted high school art teacher, I began my jewelry making journey.

I started working at a fine jewelry store in 1985 and worked there for 15 years. My side hustle in jewelry making, selling at art fairs and consigning to galleries, began in 1990.”

Julie followed up her high school jewelry education with studies at The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Western Michigan University (along with a degree in Art Education), Kendall College of Art and Design, The Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts in San Francisco. There were also and many, many individual classes and workshops over the years with “special favorites sponsored by The Guild”. The best class she has ever taken was Mokume Gane with Jim Binion and Chris Ploof at Rio Grande in Albuquerque in 2018 which she described as “so awesome!”

Julie is the director of Studio JSD in Grand Haven, where she enjoys combining organic elements and textures with contrasting contemporary details. She particularly enjoys creating one of a kind pieces using her favorite techniques of soldering and fusing or in her words “most hot work”. In 1998 Julie began working with metal clay, using it to add dimensional elements to her fabricated statement pieces.

When asked to identify her favorite piece ever, Julie doesn’t hesitate. “My daughter-in-law’s engagement ring - very special! I have three sons, 2 are still at home. My oldest boy got married last year, the week Covid shut the world down. A big bash planned for 200+ people ended up being a small family wedding in the gallery at Studio JSD. So happy to finally have a girl! Jessi (my new daughter-in-law) now works full time at Studio JSD.”

Julie has extensive experience leading jewelry related classes and workshops at national trade shows and conferences, technical schools, universities, private studios and galleries. She is also the lead instructor at Studio JSD. “I am super excited to be teaching in Tucson at Vivi Magoo Art Retreat in the Desert during the 2022 gems shows! Check out their classes here: www.vivmagoo.com/catalogue-category/desert/2022/. And I just signed up to take a jewelry class in Florence Italy in May 2022. Keeping my fingers crossed we can travel!”

Julie and her husband reside in Spring Lake. She has been a member of MSG for over 15 years and is a past Vice President of the MSG Board. She is currently a member at large.

You can find her work at the Studio JSD gallery, The Muskegon Museum of Art gift shop, and Gallery on Fifth in Calumet, MI. It is also available through her website www.juliesanforddesigns.com as well as Studio JSD’s website www.studiojsd.com.

Your dad would be very proud of all you have accomplished Julie!