The Black Jeweler Studio Fund

Peace & Good Health! I am a man of many names, most know me as Chef Zu of Kings Apron from years and years of offering “Educational Food Programming” i.e Cooking Classes, Gourmet Raw Food Tastings, Interactive Workshops, 5 Course Vegan Dinners & Farm-to-Table Cuisine in Atlanta. I have been a Certified Holistic Nutritionist since 2017. As well as a Certified Herbalist since 2020.

When Covid hit us in March of 2020 and the Educational Food Programming slowed down by nearly 100% during the shutdown. I began to work on Genuine Copper Wrapped Jewelry & Gemstone Mining. Surprisingly, jewelry helped supplement a great deal of the missing income during the pandemic. Jewelry was a blessing in disguise as well as an unexpected highlight in my pursuit of happiness. I want to be able to not just survive but more importantly “thrive” and I vow ... “As long as I can thrive I will teach my Family, Friends & Community how to do the same.”

After 3 long years of studying “Gemstone Mining, Lapidary Art & Handcrafted Jewelry I am deciding to double down on these 3 sectors which work seamlessly together and will allow me to eventually become totally sustainable.

Gemstone Mining - allows me to extract raw materials directly from the mine. These “Raw Materials” can later be used for Lapidary Art.

Lapidary Arts - allows me to take those raw materials and then Cut, Shape, Polish & Finish the gemstones to a gallery level.

Handcrafted & Fabricated Jewelry - allows me to take the Cut, Shaped, Polished & Finished gemstones and set them in Copper, Silver & Gold for crafting handmade Pendants, Rings, Bracelets, Crowns, Wands & more.

As we begin to research “Jeweler Demographics & Statistics” we find that the most common ethnicity group among jewelers is White or Caucasian, which makes up 62.8% of all jewelers. Comparatively, 14.5% of jewelers are Hispanic or Latino and 11.7% of jewelers are Asian. The remaining percentages are made up of 4.4% for Ethnicity Unknown then 3.9% for American Indian & Alaska Native while the remaining 2.7% is made up of Black or African American Jewelers. That’s over a 60% deficit between White & Black Jewelers? Why?

Those that know me know that I believe in “Applied Research & Continual Education.”

If we date stamp the oldest African Jewelry we will find it dates back 75,000 years ago and was small shells found in 2004 in the Blombos Cave off the coastline of South Cape, South Africa. These shells were from rather small mollusks, each shell showcasing holes punctured in the same place on opposite sides and showing signs of wear as if they had been strung together for a Necklace or Bracelet.

Moving along from Shells to Metals like Copper, Silver & Gold. The earliest found Copper artifacts date back to over 10,000 years ago in 8700 BC where a copper pendant was found in Northern Iraq. Silver was valued at a higher regard when compared to Gold in Ancient Egypt. Silver has been used for over 6,400 years where small fashion beads and bracelets were found in ancient Kemet which was later given the name Egypt. Gold has been used for over 6,000 years; the oldest pieces of Gold Jewelry discovered were beads and bracelets. King Tutankhamun’s burial mask is another example of how monumental both Gold & Gemstones are pertaining to heirloom artifacts and history. The Gold mask is skillfully inlaid with Lapis Lazuli, Carnelian and Turquoise with small splashes of Quartz, Obsidian & Amazonite.

How did “Black Men” become so disconnected with the production of “Precious Metal Jewelry & Gemstones” but on the flip side spend thousands and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars on jewelry with individuals that fall outside of our particular demographics? Gold & Silver are commodities which can be used as currency and are traded on the Stock Market each and everyday. Remember, we found that 2.7% of all jewelers are Black or African American. As we add in gender the numbers shift lastly to 1.7% of all jewelers are Black Women which leaves just 1% of all jewelers being Black Men. Please help me “Raise the Numbers” and support the “Black Jeweler Fundraiser.”

The funds raised from this campaign will be used for expanding our raw materials from our traditional Copper & Gemstones crafted work. We will be adding Silver, Gold & Higher Quality Precious Stones. These raw materials will be used for crafting Amulets, Talismans, Pendants, Bracelets, Anklets, Earrings, Crowns, Wands & more. We will also purchase a Polishing Wheel, Soldering Equipment & Stone Grinder.

This campaign was inspired by Winifred Mason & Art Smith who were two of 1st Professional Black Jewelers in the USA. Winifred Mason taught and employed Art Smith who would go on to open the very 1st African American Jewelry Studio in the United States. He ran the studio from 1946-1979 in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. Art Smith is considered the 1st documented African American Jeweler in North America.