Uruz Metals
Joshua Gates is the owner and primary metalsmith at Uruz Metals. Together with his wife, Chrystal, they design and create each product by hand in their small New Orleans studio.
Uruz Metals is inspired by the natural world around us: the textures, colors, forms, and biodiversity that surrounds the Mississippi River and are unique to Louisiana. Our electroformed jewelry and sculpture incorporates animal and plant remains (leaves, insects, bones, etc) that we source ethically and collect by hand. As such, each piece is one of a kind --- a truly unique piece of art.
Our finished pieces exhibit beautiful surface textures, like hammer marks and patinas, which demonstrate the mark of the maker. Each conscientiously remains, giving the piece its own individual identity, a feeling of timelessness, and distinguishes that this work is made by hand.
Joshua earned Bachelor's Degrees in Metals and Glass from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, with a minor in Art History specializing in tribal art. Influences from the American Craftsman and Art Nouveau movements of the late-1800s to early-1930s are present throughout his work.
