I first held flame to iron as a teenager, learning to bend metal into jewelry in a high school art class, then at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College, where I earned a degree in jewelry design. Nearly a quarter century ago, I took my first professional job at Hoff Jewelry, where I spent hour after hour, day after day, bent over one piece of jewelry after another, mastering the elemental and essential art of polishing.
When I felt ready for more challenges, I took a position working with a father-and-son team from Poland, both Master Goldsmith / Master Craftsmen from a long line of jewelers, who opened a small shop in Minneapolis in the 1990s.
From these old-world masters I learned the lessons of a lifetime, making fine pieces for exacting clients who expected timeless design and exquisite workmanship on heirloom pieces they would pass along for generations. In a decade at their side, I became a Journeyman level craftsman, finding passion and purpose through the creation of objects of beauty that reflected the unique spirit of each person who wore them. The nicks, cuts, and burns that scarred my fingers as I worked to transform raw elements of the earth into fine jewelry were testament to my commitment to perfection, but also a reminder that beauty does not come without pain – not in jewelry, and not in life.
While I steadily mastered my craft, I did not so steadily master life: I experienced hardship and heartache I could not polish away, turning instead to substances I eventually abused. The fingers that hold the jewelry I make in my studio today are those not just of a jeweler but also a recovering addict, a man who has been chiseled, compressed, cracked and etched over time – including time in prison for a drug-related offense – into a new person: sober, serene, filled with a deep sense of integrity, gratitude, and understanding of the loss, the pain, and the vulnerability without which there is no true beauty.
Like a Phoenix risen from the ashes, I am remade with a desire to bring all that I know and am to Brian Bibeau Designs: exquisite craftsmanship using ethically-sourced, sustainable metals and stones chosen not for perfection, but for a more authentic expression of self, attainable by all, marked by the tiny imperfections that the universe imbues in all matter, that make each piece uniquely precious, that remind us that we are each of us uniquely precious.
Emily Easton
Partner; Business Operations
Emily Easton's past and current professional experience as a local business owner, brings a holistic point of view in building, growing and scaling Brian Bibeau Designs. From basic administrative documentation to digital marketing, eCommerce and finance, Emily's role as partner at Brian Bibeau Designs allows Brian to focus on the exquisite art of design and technical execution for his one of a kind, handcrafted custom jewelry. Behind the scenes, Emily creates the space for Brian's creations, while making sure the i's are dotted and t's are crossed.
