meet_the_designerA long-time resident of Sanibel, John began by creating freestanding metal sculptures. He was drawn to creating unique jewelry pieces and then apprenticed under the recognized International Artist, Orlando Ferriozi. For 60 generations, the Ferriozi’s have been Jewelers in Milan, and the test they require to qualify for apprenticeship is so rigorous that only one out every 100 applicants gets even half way through it. During the apprenticeship students learn how to lay out the work and figure out how to get it assembled. "There’s a lot of hand fabrication, and you need to use both sides of the brain," explains John, "because there’s a lot of problem-solving. It requires mechanical engineering skills, but also a lot of creativity."