Petra Class grew up and was educated in Germany. After studying art history and philosophy at the University of Stuttgart, she pursued a rigorous traditional education in metalsmithing and design. Petra's years training as a silversmith constructing tableware informed her approach to jewelry making, inspired foremost by the European tradition of applied art. Living in the exciting city of Berlin before the fall of the Wall, she made her first steps into creating her own world of jewelry, experimenting and learning, establishing herself and selling her work in galleries around Germany.
After meeting her husband Steve, a California native, Petra emigrated to San Francisco and founded the jewelry design studio in 1991. Her classical training and connection to the cutting edge European design world combined with the organic and nature inspired attitude of California worked in harmony to create PetraŹ¼s unmistakable vocabulary.
Since then the studio has grown into an atelier and family business, spanning 2 generations across the west coast and New York City, where a team of gifted metalsmiths create the evolving collection of sculptural, contemporary jewelry. Petra, accompanied by her son Lucas, are the creative forces behind the studio, while her daughter-in-law Phoebe runs operations and 3 brilliant bench jewelers, Morgan, Clio and Emma assist in production.