Originally from the Boston area, John taught himself to make jewelry in 1975, inspired by pieces of Hopi silver inlay jewelry, "that I thought were the most beautiful manmade things I had ever seen." He moved to Hawaii in 1979, something he had wanted to do from the tender age of nine when he read a special Dennis the Menace comic book, published when Hawaii achieved statehood. Being a surfer as well, the cold North Atlantic only intensified the desire.

Though mostly self-taught, John has studied with several masters in different metal working techniques in recent years, including Valentin Yotkov, Falcher Fusager, Betty Helen Longhi, Brian Marshall, Ed Friedman and Robert Lee Morris. He works in silver, gold and niobium. The work is mostly fabrication, starting with sheet and wire and hammering and forging the shapes he wants, later soldering, texturing, and in the case of niobium, anodizing and welding. "Part of the attraction of making jewelry is that you use tools and methods that predate history as well as high tech machines and techniques that are evolving everyday. In my shop you'll find dozens of hammers and stakes (silversmith's anvils) that any prehistoric goldsmith would be familiar with, alongside ultrasonic cleaners, various electric welders, an anodizer, tumblers, a microscope and much more. While hammering and forming the metal is my favorite part of the process, solving the puzzle of taking sheet metal and wire, and making it into a recognizable organic form gives a lot of satisfaction."