Studio visit: Jewelers Joe and Gudi Pach

Photos and text by Marie-Hélène Morell In our fast world, what’s a beach stone? - JP

Joe and Gudi Pach are the husband-and-wife team behind Terrabijou By Pach, a jewelry company that produces one-of-a-kind pieces inspired by New Brunswick nature and their many travels. Originally from Germany, Joe and Gudi came to Canada seeking a slower pace, which they surely have found in the rolling hills of Ratter Corner, NB. What started as an evenings-and-weekends hobby for Joe using dental tools and scrap dental wire has now turned into a full-time business for both he and Gudi. Their pieces are top quality and show strong original design, many of which are anchored by carefully selected Bay of Fundy beach stones. Joe and Gudi each have their own style, but both reveal their passion for the back-to-nature movement and their desire to help people slow down and notice the beauty around them.

My mom and I visited Joe and Gudi as a part of a mother-daughter road trip and thoroughly enjoyed our chat and snack in their studio. The four of us talked so easily that two hours just flew by and the recording took forever to transcribe because our conversation meandered as it would with friends. We walked around their studio and they pulled out different pieces to illustrate their journey as they shared their story. Joe and Gudi are storytellers, and I feel like we only heard the tip of the iceberg of their many adventures. They were very honest and straightforward about the ups and downs of being an artisan in NB. It’s not an easy gig, but they love it, and that’s what counts. After the interview we were treated to a guided tour of their lush (and expansive!) garden and greenhouse; both my mom and I were green with envy when we saw their greenhouse, custom built by Joe from recycled windows. Apparently the creativity does not stop with jewelry!

Joe and Gudi belong to a generation that thrives on old-fashioned face-to-face personal contact and for whom social media is a bit like a new language. You won’t find them on Facebook (yet) but if you have the chance, find out which craft show they will be attending and stop to check out their jewelry in person. If you take a moment to chat, you will find them eager to connect and to talk about their work. Get to know this lovely couple you will want to own one of their creations because it is an extension of who they are.

*Note: Joe and Gudi’s voices are both enriched by melodic German accents that simply cannot be conveyed in type. In order to get the full flavour of the conversation, try to imagine a lovely German voice speaking to you. Also a cat, tea and muffins would complete the picture.

What brought you here to Canada?

Joe: Work. I was working as a technician and Gudi was working in an architecture office and we came to Canada because it was very stressful. We just decided we had to change our lives. So we quit our jobs, took our backpacks and bought a one-way ticket to Canada, thinking to spend a year or so. It was a stress relief. We’ve always been creative, doing some jewelry workshops and some pottery with friends as a creative outlet, but we couldn’t really do anything because we were so busy with work. Gudi: We had contacts here in Sussex and in Hawaii for architecture offices and dental practices. We could have ended up in Hawaii! Joe had a chance to work for 4 weeks to just get an idea if we would like it. We did a big road trip all through the States and across Canada, and ended up here outside Sussex.

How did you start making jewelry?

Joe: I started making jewelry using recycled materials from the dental lab and dental tools. It started with basic jewelry, selling a bit. I talked to my friend Peter Powning, the sculptor. He said, “Joe you are talented, why wouldn’t you go to the College of Craft and Design? Just give them a call and go there.” So I did. It was a real eye-opener. I worked in metal arts and because of my knowledge and experience I was able to move ahead to the upper level classes. I started out with simple metal pieces, but then started picking up stones to work with. My first stone piece was a bracelet I made for my final project at the college, a custom piece for someone from Vancouver. I won an award for it, which was very satisfying. I have since made nine more and recently had another order from Vancouver. At the time I worked as a carpenter Monday to Thursday, then I’d go into my studio Thursday night and work all weekend to get ready for shows. I made the decision to stop working as a carpenter two years ago.

Gudi: We thought it might just be something we did in our retirement, but here we are!

Why stones?

I (Joe) grew up in former East Germany, near the ocean. I feel a connection to the stones. If I go to a beach, every stone is telling me something. This stone for example, told me that it should be a bracelet. It sounds silly but it’s true. I like the natural element of stones. I don’t much like too much shine, like diamonds. I try to stay with the basics. When we go to the beach, I select stones and bring them home to play with them. I just leave them out on the table and let them speak to me. The colour, the shape… it can take awhile. Everything is natural. Even if I gloss some stones, it is just with beeswax.

Gudi: Our name is Terra Bijou, which means earth jewelry. It means we are inspired by and use stones, shells, seeds. There is also the idea of recycling, reusing materials that already exist.

Joe: It’s partly not being wasteful. Mother Nature can show you what to do, you just have to use your imagination. It’s not about the cost of materials. Maybe I try to give people a hint to watch out for Mother Nature, to be more conscious of the scenery around them. People are going so fast, we just go hop, hop, hop. If you really sit down and touch each stone, it’s so beautiful. People who buy our pieces feel connected to the earth through the pieces they take home.

Tell me about your studio:

Joe: Originally we just had a small room, but going to the college helped me know exactly what I needed for tools. The studio has grown over the last five years from a small room to what you see now, with all the tools, sink and ventilation. I’m always expanding. We love this room because it has a lot of light. Also I now have the equipment to melt down and reuse the leftover metals to reduce our waste and consumption of materials. I want to expand it even more because I need lots of room to spread out my stones.

What is it like to work together?

Gudi: We think very differently because of our backgrounds, but we work together well. We have two very different lines. Mine has more natural tones, more sculptural elements.

Joe: We are a good combination. Gudi has an architectural design background. Her jewelry is very free-spirited with the pea pods, very organic. She does more funky, I do more structural, geometric forms. I have ideas but she is much faster, and she can sketch out things very well. I have to just try stuff. I will take copper or brass and build prototypes. She does the planning, the logistics, keeps an eye on the calendar. I’m more on the bench working. We are married since 35 years, so we’re a good team.

What is your process behind a new piece?

Joe: We don’t really have a line, more like phases as we get inspired. For example, after returning from a trip to Vietnam I was inspired to use some Asian elements in my design. If I start a new piece, I turn the music on, lay out my stones and just try things out and get a feel for the shape and how things fit together. I never would go intentionally into the studio and just say ok today I’m going to do this. Usually I have ten to fifteen pieces on the go, and I go back and forth as I’m inspired.

Gudi: Travel is a big inspiration for us, whenever we travel we always come back with new ideas. When we went to Arizona I came across these seeds and created the pea pod pieces.

What is the biggest challenge that you face as artists?

Gudi: Having new ideas is a challenge for me. We have lots of repeat customers, but they expect new things each season. They come early to the shows to get first pick of the new designs. This is challenging.

Joe: The most challenging part as a business is the marketing aspect, dealing with wholesale issues, dealing with banks, it’s all tiny stuff but it takes up time and energy. We are so dependent on these administrative things, which also cost money to use. How to decide on a price is difficult as well, one that is fair but affordable. I think it’s the biggest problem for everyone in the art world. The other difficult part is social media, but it depends on your age group. The younger people know how to navigate Facebook, but we have to learn all that stuff.

Gudi: All this takes time away from your creativity, checking all different things, updating websites, you can waste so much time.

What do you love about living here in NB?

Gudi: New Brunswick is a lovely province. We know because we crossed the entire country in our truck! It has so many lovely waterways, beautiful beaches. It is laid-back; although much faster than it was 25 years ago!

Joe: We are outside Sussex, but not too far. Sometimes it feels busy and we’d like to be tucked further away in the woods. We have 50 acres in the back so we can wander around and do whatever we want to do. We have the freedom to develop our yard, it’s another creative outlet.

Gudi: When we moved here there was not one flower, not one bush. We’ve developed it from the ground up and we love it. We had our youth and all the wild years, but now we want to disappear and be quiet.

What are you most proud of?

Joe: I am really proud and happy of what we have created, that we can support ourselves. I would say 85% of our clientele are really happy about what they have purchased. I need to feel like the pieces are not ending up in drawers. People travel to purchase our pieces, and get really excited about owning our pieces. This is a good feeling.