My grandfather, Philip, had a workbench in his basement in Wisconsin. I remember looking at it as a little boy and thinking, “This. This is where anything can be made.”

My Grandpa and my Uncle John were both makers, and I was underfoot all the time as a kid. Besides a love for making, I had a healthy passion for disassembling Transformers, cutting lamp cords, and generally taking apart to find out how things worked. If Squirrel City Jewelers had an origination point, it’s probably a toy I couldn’t put back together.

Years later, I found myself at Kent State University finishing up a BFA focused in Metals and Glass. Just before graduating (in record time for an art major, Mom!), I began working for an independent, family-owned jewelry store in 2004. For 15 years, I honed there. I learned. I fixed, broke, invented, dreamed, and eventually began to conjure. They gave me a space to grow talent, an environment hard enough to sharpen myself against it, and most importantly, trust. I would not be here without them, and my gratitude is without end. Now, do I miss doing 200-300 repairs a month and balancing custom work with it? Not so much. I will, though, always cherish that team.
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When I first met my wife, I created a treasure hunt for her that went all over Kent. It included diving into the Cuyahoga River, walking the rails, ascending Standing Rock, and solving a series of book clues on invisible ink throughout the floors of the KSU library. I personally would like to capture that sense of playful adventure at Squirrel City Jewelers in how we give back to the community, the way we present our creations, and in how we simply just be. I like to say that true craftsmanship is a dialogue because it hints at the fact that a relationship is the heart of creating. And most of the time that is exactly what jewelry is celebrating: a relationship between people, of our selves to symbols, or simply of our joy in wearing. We can’t wait for you to join us.
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— Michael Faehnel, Owner / Precious Metals Artisan