It really all starts about 15-16 years ago. at that age i was obsessed with old school, 90s specifically, hip-hop. mostly the likes of tupac, biggie and wu-tang clan. not only did i love the music and admired the artists behind the music, i also loved the jewelry they were wearing. from pac's infamous makaveli chain to wu-tang clan member's grillz i just loved the self expression and personality behind the custom pieces these rappers were wearing.

fast forward 6 or so years later, now I'm in high school, even more engrossed in the culture of 90s hip-hop then i was back then. so i end up enrolling in a cnc machining class, mostly to get out of taking more regular classes, but also because i knew people in the trade who had done well so i figured why not. there i found my love for manufacturing products using metal. only problem was i didn't actually care for the products we produced in class. at this point i am a junior in high school so i am starting to think about my future and what i would love to do as an occupation once i graduate high school. then one day i am in class, and out of nowhere a thought pops into my head. i wonder if making jewelry, since gold and silver are a metal, is any similar to cnc machining. so i went and asked my teacher, who in short told me he thinks so but really has no idea. so now i am scouring the internet trying to find information about jewelry making. keep in mind at that time, i knew nothing about how jewelry was manufactured.

i eventually found information, all though not a lot. at that time there was no where near that amount of jewelry content there is now. but nevertheless i was fascinated by the process. i thought everything from the casting process to the diamond setting process was just the coolest thing. that was when i decided, i one day want to become a jeweler, no matter what. only problem was i didn't know a single person on earth who made jewelry, i had never met any real jewelers and at this point my only experience involving jewelry was going to the mall and purchasing gold plated garbage. regardless i still was determined and immediately started saving my money to start my own jewelry studio.

after saving money for about 4 years or so i decided it was time to start buying equipment and some books so i could start practicing jewelry making. i started with little projects like making spoon rings. meanwhile in between the 4 years i was saving, a family friend i had grown up had started to make jewelry, mostly gold grillz, pendants and rings but had decided to stop making jewelry. he had seen me post some stuff on instagram of me trying to make jewelry. key word, "trying" and contacted me about buying some of his equipment and teach me how to run the equipment. i immediatley jumped on it, purchasing his 3d printer, casting kiln as well as some other casting equipment.

now with these tools i was actually able to design, 3d print and cast the exact designs i wanted to make. needless to say the spoon rings got old quick and it wasn't the style of jewelry i was interested in making in the first place. so i got down to business and started teaching myself these new skills that would eventually open up more doors for me in the jewelry industry. which is exactly what it did, through learning design, 3d printing and casting led me to meeting my mentor that i would end up apprenticing under 3 years at his wholesale jewelry manufacturing studio. throughout the next 3 years of my life i was soaking up information like a sponge and refining my jewelry making techniques while also networking with people who are in the jewelry industry. remember i said this is a wholesale jewelry manufacturing studio. that means we did wholesale repair and custom work for jewelry stores in the surrounding areas. basically they bring us the custom orders or repair work from their customers, we manufacture and repair everything, then give the jewelry to the shops to then deliver to the customers. because of this i was able to learn a lot very fast, while also making a lot of different types of jewelry. but most of our work was repair work. in the mean time i was slowly building my own jewelry studio and working on my own designs.

i enjoyed my apprenticeship. it taught me so much more than just manufacturing and repairing jewelry. regardless i was ready to go on my own. mostly because even though i enjoyed the work i did with my mentor, i was ready to start putting more of my time into my own jewelry brand and making the jewelry pieces that i enjoy making, i was itching to start making my own designs. once i finished my jewelry studio and got some of my business affairs in order, i decided it was time for me to go on my own so i can give my brand the time and energy it deserves to then bring beautiful, unique and everlasting pieces of jewelry. now if you have made it this far, i want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read my story. i enjoyed reminiscing about my journey to get to the point i am at now and since you made it this far in the story i want to give you a special discount code (EZsSTORY7) to use for 7% off your order. so here we are today welcome to ezduzit.shop, i am your host ez, i cant wait to bring your jewelry dreams into reality.