Erin Cuff is the owner of Cochineal and makes all jewelry by hand in her Santa Rosa studio.  With a rich background in photography, art, and woodworking, her eye for design is well rounded and multifaceted to say the least.  Erin's jewelry features both sterling silver and solid 14k and 18k yellow gold, and is inspired by the desert, modernism, mid century design, folk art, and the southwestern United States where she hails from.  Above all her biggest inspiration is her grandmother Madelyn, who was a classically trained jeweler and gemologist from the mid 70’s through the early 2000’s.

Erin mastered silversmithing under Billy King at Sterling Quest in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, and soon after began her journey in goldsmithing working in the industry in Oakland and San Francisco where Erin lived for over a decade.

All of Erin's creations carry an equal balance of elegance, utilitarianism, and sentiment.  Both In structure and style, they are built to last a lifetime and then some.