ABOUT

I have been designing and creating my own unique jewelry and metal work for the past 25yrs and now have been living in San Francisco, CA for the past 15yrs. Through a variety of venues, my studio D.A.C-METALS I have been able to work on private commissions, participate in selected juried shows, do jewelry contract work, give jewelry lessons and wedding ring making workshops and show in Bay Area galleries. Besides using precious metals I also fabricate larger projects in steel, stainless steel and aluminum. I was also employed as a coppersmith for 8yrs becoming head production manager. I have been a member of the Metal Arts Guild of the Bay Area were I have taught workshops and participate in juried exhibitions. I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from the Maine College of Art with an emphasis in Metalsmithing and Jewelry design in 1996.

The momentum to create is driven by a curiosity to answer my own “what ifs.” My love of metals and the processes allows the work to become rapid, presenting me with infinite possibilities. I enjoy exploring the potentials of design, materials and their properties, along with the influence of my own personal aesthetics, which is strongly affected by pattern, texture and the play between positive and negative spaces. From these discoveries and the finished pieces, I create a visually stimulating and tactile experience in which I start the next process of asking myself “what if?” -D

COMMISSIONS

With all private custom designs / commissions that I do regardless of the scale or metal, each is unique and particular to the client and the relationship we create. Some know exactly what they want and with others it's not so clear. What ever the case may be I will enjoy working with you to produce a piece of art that you will be thrilled to cherish and enjoy for a life time. Do you have any family heirloom stones or gold you would like to use? I would be happy to talk with you about incorporating them into your piece. I look forward to hearing what you have in mind for your next special piece of art.

18k yellow gold, rose cut diamonds and rubies

14k white and rose gold

LEARN TO MAKE YOUR OWN WEDDING RINGS

D.A.C-METALS offers workshops for either you or you and your partner the opportunity to make your own wedding bands. You will go through the whole process of making a ring while learning the long and rich tradition of jewelry making. If you are interested please get in touch with me at david@dac-metals.com and we can set up a consolation date and go over the details

“After taking a few weekend-long jewelry classes with David as my instructor, I knew he would be the perfect instructor to help me make my husband's and my wedding rings. And, he was. He is patient, experienced, kind, and an all-around great teacher from beginning to end. We started with me showing him some pictures of designs and talking about specs over the phone, he then sourced the materials using his jewelry discount, and a few weeks later, I met him at his shop, which is fully stocked with every tool you could ever need. The morning began with him writting out the steps of the entire process and moved right into forming the rings, soldering, sanding, more soldering, more sanding, and finishing out the day with the final polishing. At the end of the day, I walked out of the shop with rings more beautiful than I could have imagined! I literally could not stop staring at them on the entire ride home. I will close out by saying two things. First, the best part of working with David is that he let me do all the actual work so that I could have true ownership over the project. Second, I'd work with him again in a second!”
-Alexius