About

No bots here.

Forge & Foundry was established in 2012, dedicated to the artistry, ingenuity, technology (that is, the lack of), and skill of the early makers of bodily adornment. Using many of the same methods of those early artisans, Forge & Foundry creates each piece by hand in New York City — no CAD, no CAM, no overseas production.

Susan Mancuso is the creative force behind Forge & Foundry.  Jewelry is a common language of humanity. Virtually all cultures use forms of bodily adornment, often created using the beautiful materials that are found below our feet. Studying with masters like Fred De Vos and Valentin Yotkov, Susan has peered into the mysteries of creating beauty from the elements of our earth, using hammers, carving tools and fire. The name Forge & Foundry Jewels is a tribute to the humble beginnings of the fine jewelry we wear.

Some of Susan's work is created by carving and shaping wax pieces, which are then cast into precious metals. Others are made by scoring and coaxing metal using chasing and repousse techniques. These jewelry-making techniques have been used for thousands of years across the spectrum of human civilization.

While Susan's grounding is in ancient jewelry techniques, she enjoys working in both contemporary and historical idioms, while ensuring that her pieces reflect their hand-crafted origins. 

Though Forge & Foundry, Susan's goal is to make beautifully-designed, finely-crafted jewelry with high-quality, ethically-sourced materials. She hopes that wearers of her work get get the sense that she sometimes experiences when creating her work: the sense of commonality in humanity, past and present, in the act of making and wearing beautiful pieces to adorn our bodies using the materials from the place that all of us walk on.