Jennifer Gierka was born in 1985 in Albany, New York. From an early age she knew she wanted to study art and after two years at the Pratt Munson Williams Proctor Institute she went on to the Rhode Island School of Design to complete a degree in jewelry and metalsmithing in 2008. Shortly after graduating she moved to New York City to spend time sharpening her skills with Maria Beaulieu and her studio mate to eventually become one of the goldsmiths at Reinstein and Ross. There she learned traditional goldsmithing techniques and developed a love for working with high karat gold. Jennifer left New York City in 2017 and currently lives and works in Kingston, New York.