Petra Class grew up and was educated in Germany. After studying art history and philosophy at the University of Stuttgart, she pursued a rigorous traditional education in metalsmithing and design. Petra’s years training as a silversmith constructing tableware informed her approach to jewelry making, inspired foremost by the European tradition of applied art.  Petra emigrated to San Francisco and founded the jewelry design studio in 1991. Her classical training and connection to the cutting edge European design world combines with the organic and nature inspired attitude of California to create Petraʼs unmistakable vocabulary.

Since then the studio has grown into an atelier and family business, spanning 2 generations across the west coast where a team of gifted metalsmiths create the evolving collection of sculptural, contemporary jewelry. Petra, accompanied by her son Lucas, are the creative forces behind the studio, while her daughter-in-law Phoebe runs operations and several brilliant bench jewelers assist in production. After a fabulous 5-year stint in New York City, the team is based in San Francisco. Petra often splits her studio time between winters in SF and summers in the German countryside where she creates most of the new one-of-a-kind pieces and prototypes.