Meet Laevi

Meet Laevi

A Bit About Me...

From a young age, I was always drawn to working with my hands — drawing, building things, and sometimes taking them apart just to understand how they worked. Traditional classroom learning never captured my attention quite the same way creating did. Some of my earliest and most formative experiences came from spending time at my grandfather's auto wrecking yard with my father in Cleveland, where I learned to weld, use machinery, and develop a deep respect for craftsmanship and metalwork.

Jewelry was my first true creative passion, something my dear dad always encouraged. He was a talented craftsman and a true artist himself, and his influence shaped so much of who I became.

I made my first piece of jewelry at nine years old — a rough little amethyst pendant set in silver — and as a teenager I began apprenticing at a local jewelry shop.

My curiosity and love for artistry eventually led me into professional tattooing, while I continued making jewelry through private commissions and work for other jewelers. Over the years, I immersed myself in refining the details of fine ornamentation: hand engraving, stone setting, intricate metalwork, and learning how to bring out the inherent character and beauty of every material I worked with.

Eventually, I moved back to Cleveland, where I had the opportunity to work alongside my dad again. Together, we opened a successful Etsy shop before he passed away — something I will always treasure.

As commissions grew, I found myself returning more fully to my original love: hand fabricating fine jewelry. The kind of jewelry I dreamed of creating didn't really exist in the retail world, so for many years it remained a deeply personal side pursuit.

After meeting my beautiful wife, everything began to shift. She took a genuine interest in my work and encouraged me to pursue it more seriously. With her support, I was finally able to focus more completely on jewelry design and craftsmanship. Then, when the opportunity to become the owners of Ark Jewelers presented itself, the timing felt perfectly aligned — (much like my perfectly aligned wife).

Our vision is simple: to create a welcoming workshop and tasteful studio featuring a carefully curated collection of well-made pieces alongside my own original designs. I believe jewelry should be a deeply personal celebration of the individual, and it's a true privilege to listen to someone's story and create something meaningful with my own hands and heart.

I feel incredibly grateful to do the work I love while supporting my family and being a present part of my community.

Hope to see you at the shop!

Laevi Susman