Bio

John brings enthusiasm and a passion for learning to his classroom.

His family has independently owned Diamonds Direct in Minneapolis since 1981. He was exposed to jewelry and diamonds at a young age. An Iraq War veteran, John returned home from his deployment and decided to make the leap to go to Italy and train to become a goldsmith.

John studied goldsmithing in Vicenza, Italy, at the government-run Scuola D’Arte E Mestieri. During the next few years, he honed his skills by studying hand engraving under Michele Griggio and attending the three-month optical diamond setting course at Alexandre School. In 2015, John began working for two Italian jewelers and taking commissioned orders online. In 2017, he moved back to the United States and attended the graduate gemologist course at the Gemological Institute of America. 

Nowadays, John works at his family’s business, creating custom pieces for customers that come to the store or contact him via Instagram.