Born in Lithuania, Sepkus studied industrial design with the intention of following in his father’s footsteps and becoming an architect. After some consideration, he determined that architecture was too limiting for his design passion. Growing up under communism, Alex was unable to work with any sort of precious metals since it was illegal to work with gold in the Soviet Union. With such limited material to work with, he focused mainly on engraved stones, carved ivory, and enamel paintings.

Alex describes the intricate detail work in his jewelry as universal with a focus on basic forms, structures and textures. “I stopped making sketches years ago,” he said. “I imagine the piece I want to make in my head, and the hands work by themselves. Sometimes I get surprised at what comes out.”

Alex begins with a wax model, which is eventually cast in 18kt gold or platinum and then hand-finished. “I have no technical secrets,” says Sepkus. “The main trick is in the very intricate manual work that goes into the process. I can explain the process to everybody. But at the same time, I don’t think that I have ever seen a copy of my work somewhere. It is just so labor intensive.” In fact, Sepkus has developed his own specialized tools to achieve the textures that make his pieces so recognizable.