Jim Charneski's Artist Statement:
Metalwork is part of my heritage from my father, a metallurgist with North American Rockwell, and my grandfather, a skilled
welder who also worked on the Mercury and Apollo space capsules. For 30 years I too have continued to be captivated by the
properties of different metals, whether I am shaping steel at a forge or casting and fabricating fine gold jewelry.
After graduation from high school I was part of a metals concentration at Penland School of Craft in Penland, North Carolina.
The seeds of my career were planted. By staying in the Penland area I went on to be a core student and to work for a well-
known blacksmith, Bill Brown, Jr. I continued my studies at Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, Tennessee and
apprenticed with goldsmiths at a prominent jewelry store in Columbus, Ohio before becoming an independent jeweler and
metalsmith.
Today Charneski Metals Studio is located near Penland where I work in gold, silver, pewter, copper and steel. I continue to
design, cast and fabricate distinctive jewelry, as well as, decorative works for the home. Timeless elements of nature are
transformed into singular designs to adorn the body or the home.
Member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild since 1998.