Our Story
Sonya Coulson Rook, GIA AJP
I've always loved making and creating, spending most of my childhood covered in finger paint and glue, while surrounded by pipe cleaners, googly eyes and construction paper. I fell in love with metal while studying art at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. After two somewhat disastrous semesters of ceramics classes, my professor suggested that I take a metals course. I hadn't considered the media before, but decided to give it a try. The first time I picked up the hammer, I was hooked and haven't looked back since. After school I worked as an apprentice to a bench jeweler repairing jewelry and sizing rings. When that opportunity ended, I found myself in a retail management job that I was not at all suited for. Making jewelry in my free time was a much needed creative escape, and while I had sold a few pieces here and there, I hadn't seriously pursued my passion. Metamorphosis Metals was born in 2006 in Raleigh, NC in a tiny corner of the kitchen as a part time side gig. I began selling my work online, at art fairs, and local shops and galleries. Eventually business began to take off and I was able to cut down hours at my retail job to invest more time in building Metamorphosis Metals until my dream was fulfilled and making and selling my designs became my full time profession. Over the years I have continued to develop and expand my skill set with a focus on fabrication techniques, stone setting and hand engraving with a particular interest in alternative engagement rings. In 2022 we relocated from Raleigh and are currently living and working just outside of Greenville in Ayden, NC.
Training & Certifications:
BFA Metal Design- East Carolina University- 2001
Stone Setting Comprehensive- New Approach School for Jewelry- 2018
Jewelry Engraving- GRS Training Center- 2019
Gemological Institute of America (GIA)- Applied Jewelry Professional- 2020
Gemological Institute of America (GIA)- Jewelry Essentials- 2020
Gemological Institute of America (GIA)- Colored Stone Essentials- 2020
Gemological Institute of America (GIA)- Diamond Essentials- 2020
Cultured Pearl Association of America (CPAA)- Certified Pearl Specialist- 2020
I've always loved making and creating, spending most of my childhood covered in finger paint and glue, while surrounded by pipe cleaners, googly eyes and construction paper. I fell in love with metal while studying art at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. After two somewhat disastrous semesters of ceramics classes, my professor suggested that I take a metals course. I hadn't considered the media before, but decided to give it a try. The first time I picked up the hammer, I was hooked and haven't looked back since. After school I worked as an apprentice to a bench jeweler repairing jewelry and sizing rings. When that opportunity ended, I found myself in a retail management job that I was not at all suited for. Making jewelry in my free time was a much needed creative escape, and while I had sold a few pieces here and there, I hadn't seriously pursued my passion. Metamorphosis Metals was born in 2006 in Raleigh, NC in a tiny corner of the kitchen as a part time side gig. I began selling my work online, at art fairs, and local shops and galleries. Eventually business began to take off and I was able to cut down hours at my retail job to invest more time in building Metamorphosis Metals until my dream was fulfilled and making and selling my designs became my full time profession. Over the years I have continued to develop and expand my skill set with a focus on fabrication techniques, stone setting and hand engraving with a particular interest in alternative engagement rings. In 2022 we relocated from Raleigh and are currently living and working just outside of Greenville in Ayden, NC.
Training & Certifications:
BFA Metal Design- East Carolina University- 2001
Stone Setting Comprehensive- New Approach School for Jewelry- 2018
Jewelry Engraving- GRS Training Center- 2019
Gemological Institute of America (GIA)- Applied Jewelry Professional- 2020
Gemological Institute of America (GIA)- Jewelry Essentials- 2020
Gemological Institute of America (GIA)- Colored Stone Essentials- 2020
Gemological Institute of America (GIA)- Diamond Essentials- 2020
Cultured Pearl Association of America (CPAA)- Certified Pearl Specialist- 2020
photo by Chris Seward with The News & Observer
Jackey Rook, GIA AJP
Jackey joined the team in 2012 and has been with Metamorphosis Metals full time since 2014. His bold, geometric design aesthetic provides the perfect balance to my delicate, organic sensibilities. He runs the supply shop and makes many of the components for our production line. Over the years he has taken various workshops in lapidary, casting and fabrication and earned his Applied Jewelry Professional diploma from the GIA in 2020
Training & Certifications:
Gemological Institute of America (GIA)- Applied Jewelry Professional- 2020
Gemological Institute of America (GIA)- Jewelry Essentials- 2020
Gemological Institute of America (GIA)- Colored Stone Essentials- 2020
Gemological Institute of America (GIA)- Diamond Essentials- 2020
Jackey joined the team in 2012 and has been with Metamorphosis Metals full time since 2014. His bold, geometric design aesthetic provides the perfect balance to my delicate, organic sensibilities. He runs the supply shop and makes many of the components for our production line. Over the years he has taken various workshops in lapidary, casting and fabrication and earned his Applied Jewelry Professional diploma from the GIA in 2020
Training & Certifications:
Gemological Institute of America (GIA)- Applied Jewelry Professional- 2020
Gemological Institute of America (GIA)- Jewelry Essentials- 2020
Gemological Institute of America (GIA)- Colored Stone Essentials- 2020
Gemological Institute of America (GIA)- Diamond Essentials- 2020
