Testimonials
"When my husband-to-be and I started to shop for wedding band for him, we were disappointed with the selection of men's rings offered at local jewelry stores. It truly was a situation where once we'd seen the rings at one store, we'd seen them all. There was nothing unique about the selection, and we also worried about the sourcing and production values that factory-style ring manufacturers were engaged in. While looking for handmade, custom rings online, we came across the idea of a wedding ring workshop where the couple actually make their own rings. It seemed like the perfect solution for us: My husband could have exactly the type of hand-crafted ring he wanted but we couldn't find locally, and I would be able to recycle some of my old gold jewelry into the ring (goodbye, '80s herringbone necklace!). The problem was, these workshops didn't seem to exist in the area. I decided to look for local artistic jewelry makers who shared our design sensibility to see if one would take me on as a student. When I saw Julie Sanford's work, she seemed like a great fit. I was thrilled that she was willing to give me a "private workshop" and guide me through the entire process of making my husband's ring completely by hand in a single day! The workshop with Julie exceeded my expectations. Julie's former career was as a school art teacher, and it shows. She is a gifted instructor. Julie really took the time to explain each step, and her calm yet enthusiastic demeanor made the whole process seem easy. Her passion for both teaching others and for her craft is obvious. My husband says his ring is exactly what he imagined, and he constantly gets compliments on it. People can't believe it when he replies, "My wife made it." If the idea of creating a one of a kind wedding band for your spouse appeals to you, I completely recommend a wedding band workshop with Julie Sanford at Studio JSD." -Daisha Cassel
"Making our wedding bands at Studio JSD was a wonderful experience that we will
keep close to us for the rest of our lives. Once the idea of making our own bands came to mind, we were excited to find there was a place that would be able to help. Even though it wasn’t close, it was worth the trip! Julie is a knowledgeable, skilled, and patient teacher that made the process a great deal of fun for us both. She demonstrated on a ring of her own design alongside ours, but made sure to never do the work for us. Having the option to make any kind of ring that we could imagine was intimidating but extremely rewarding. We couldn’t be happier with the help and expertise she lent and the one-of-a-kind rings we were able to create for one another. It was a truly rewarding experience that we hope more people will consider." -Tonya and Seth
keep close to us for the rest of our lives. Once the idea of making our own bands came to mind, we were excited to find there was a place that would be able to help. Even though it wasn’t close, it was worth the trip! Julie is a knowledgeable, skilled, and patient teacher that made the process a great deal of fun for us both. She demonstrated on a ring of her own design alongside ours, but made sure to never do the work for us. Having the option to make any kind of ring that we could imagine was intimidating but extremely rewarding. We couldn’t be happier with the help and expertise she lent and the one-of-a-kind rings we were able to create for one another. It was a truly rewarding experience that we hope more people will consider." -Tonya and Seth
"So,
instead of buying wedding bands, we thought it’d be more meaningful and
rewarding to make each other’s rings. Now, by “make” I don’t mean “have someone
make it for us.” Rather, I make her wedding band and she makes
mine. Melissa was quick to research our options and found the only place in
Michigan that offers couples the opportunity to do just that, which is Studio JSD located
in Grand Haven. Julie Sanford, owner of Studio JSD, was more than
accommodating to our purpose. In fact, we were able to have the entire studio
and her attention all to ourselves. Julie makes all kinds of jewelry and we
can’t recommend her and her artwork enough. I shall call her our Mistress of Metallurgy.
When all
was said and done we were there for about five hours with a break for lunch.
We can’t thank Julie Sanford of Studio JSD enough for her patient guidance, talent, and encouragement.
If there are any couples considering doing such an activity together for their
rings, we highly recommend doing it.
And we didn’t have to forge our rings in Mordor." - Christopher and Melissa
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