Although it’s clear Mike loves what he does, he is markedly different from the obsessional artisan that’s perhaps more the norm in classic menswear. 

Still, that doesn’t mean the jewellery is easy to make. The chunkier pieces require a traditional process where Tufa rock is cut into slices, moulds are etched into them, and then old silver coins or jewellery are melted down to pour in. 

The silver then has to be beaten to forge it (making it denser and stronger) before being shaped and stamped with decorative designs or stones. 

It is possible to make pieces with sheet silver, which can be bought in rolls. Mike uses this for thinner pieces, like money clips or tie bars. 

In general, sheet silver will always look more smooth and perfect. The forging method produces not only thicker silver in general, but also a surface that is less uniform. More wabi-sabi.

Sheet silver started to become available in the 1930s, and a lot of vintage pieces are in sheet silver as well - it’s not a modern phenomenon. 

One of the issues today is that there are very few indigenous Americans still making with the original method, so most silversmiths using it are white. 

“Even then, there are only five or six guys doing it in New Mexico, and they’re all in their 60s or 70s,” says Mike. “So they were super excited when I had done the basics and wanted to learn from them.”