Jewelry Artist Podcast: Anie Piliguian, Inventor & Maker with Heart

When I asked Anie Piliguian if she’d be my guest on Jewelry Artist, her reply was immediate: “I would love to do a podcast with you! Call me anytime to discuss what you want to talk about!” Her enthusiasm is contagious and just one of the reasons why I enjoy spending time with her, whether we’re recording this podcast, filming TV, or catching up at a gem show. Listen in below for a behind-the-scenes peek of Anie’s business. Hear how she approaches life with bravery and gratitude.

Life at a Jewelry Artist Bench

Anie spent her high school afternoons, weekends, and summers at the jeweler’s bench, learning a can-do attitude and meticulous skills from her father. She credits him for teaching her not to fear anything at the bench. In this episode, she talks about working with her father to make one of her favorite projects, a stunning engagement ring for Guns ‘n Roses frontman Axl Rose back in the day. As a lifelong maker, she continues to improve her work. Anie finds that she frequently learns as much from her students and she hopes they’re learning from her.

Since inventing the JOOLTOOL, Anie’s focus has been creating new products and teaching people techniques they can do with it. Recent innovations include discs for polishing engraving tools and flat top discs for lapidary. She’s also excited about a new technique for turning beads into cabochons. Anie posts regularly on Facebook Live and YouTube to show her customers new techniques. She’s looking forward to teaching in-person when travel opens up again.

Like many entrepreneurs, Anie has a lot on her plate. But she doesn’t do it alone. If you’ve ever seen Anie at an industry event for jewelry artists, then you’ve surely met Yaro, Anie’s husband, and Jolie, their dog. Anie admits that she relies on Yaro’s perfectionism to help keep things on track and looking good. And her three children have helped with the business at one time or another. She’s proud that her son is carrying on her family’s legacy of jewelers with his invention, the Tool Ring.

Explore the JOOLTOOL

Listen and laugh with us on Jewelry Artist podcast. We’ve been friends for years and share some of our stories about life on the road. Plus, read 5 Ways to Use a JOOLTOOL in the Jewelry Studio for tips on polishing, lapidary, glass, resin, polymer, and more. Tammy Honaman gives a tour through her studio and all the possibilities for getting started with the JOOLTOOL.

All the best,
Katie Hacker, host of Jewelry Artist podcast