The maker behind the metal
Hi, I'm Jan.
I make jewelry the slow way — by hand, one piece at a time, in a small studio that smells faintly of hot metal and coffee.
How I got here
I discovered copper enamel at a art class in Denver, Colorado, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. There's something almost alchemical about the process — you take a dull copper disc, layer it with powdered glass, and slide it into a kiln or fire with a torch. A few minutes later, you pull out something luminous. Color that lives inside the metal, not just on top of it.
For years I made jewelry just for myself and for friends. I gave pieces as gifts, traded them for favors, left them on windowsills. Eventually people started asking if they could buy them. That's when Janna's Gems became a real thing.
I work out of a studio in my home — with a proper kiln and torch set up in my garage, a workbench covered in tools, and a studio in my bonus room above my garage on Old Mission Penninsula in Traverse City, Michigan. Every piece I make is fired by hand. I layer each piece with powdered or liquid enamel colors based upon the ultimate design goal for each piece. I form the copper shapes myself. Nothing is cast or stamped. If it has my name on it, I made it.
The craft
How a piece is made
Copper enamel is an ancient craft — powdered glass fused to metal at over 1400°F. Here's what that looks like in my studio.
Shape the copper
I start with raw copper sheet, cutting and forming each piece by hand. Pendants are sawn, earrings are punched, cuffs are hammered into shape over a mandrel. The metal gets annealed — heated and quenched — to keep it workable.
Apply the enamel
Enamel is powdered glass. I sift it onto the copper in thin, even layers, building color gradually. Some pieces get two or three colors; others get six or seven, applied in stages. Each layer has to be fired before the next goes on.
Fire in the kiln
The kiln runs at 1450–1500°F. Each firing takes about two minutes. I watch through the kiln door as the powder melts and flows, the colors brightening as the glass fuses to the metal. It never gets old.
Finish and assemble
After the final firing, I clean the edges, polish the copper, and add findings — ear wires, bail, chain, clasp. Every component is chosen to complement the piece.
What I believe about making things
One of a kind, always
I don't make editions or repeats. Every piece is fired once, finished once, and sold once. If you buy it, it's yours alone.
Slow is better
I could work faster. I choose not to. Rushing a firing ruins the enamel. Rushing the finishing shows in the piece. I'd rather make fewer things well.
Materials matter
I use solid copper, sterling silver, and gold-filled findings. No base metals, no plating. These pieces are meant to last a lifetime.
Want something made just for you?
I take custom orders. Tell me your colors, your occasion, your story — and I'll make something that fits.
Get in Touch