Have you ever thought that making jewelry involved a mini-blowtorch?

If it involves metal then the answer would be obvious, but I know nothing about being a metal smith. You can bet I was surprised when Tammy Gia, creator of Gia Fragalli Creations, said I would be making jewelry at her studio in DUMBO.

Gia, 32, defines herself as a metal smith rather than a jeweler because of the way she interacts with the metal she uses to create her line. She heats up and ionizes copper, brass, and silver, changing the atom structure so that she can mold the metal to her liking, using her hands, banging it into shape with a hammer, or filing away the roughs spots to make each piece smooth to perfection.

“I play with metal. I like taking a piece of metal and turning it into something – a bracelet, a ring, an earring, or a bookmark, or something that’s wearable or usable, in a sense.”

Here are a few photos from my afternoon there:

After the bracelets were finished, Gia, who came to live in New York from Brazil last February, sat down and spoke with me about Gia Fragalli and what she hopes for its future, and even spoke about Anna Sheffield, a former contributor to The New York Times Magazine, with whom she has an internship with.

Q. When did this love for jewelry making begin?
A. (Laughs) I hated it all of my life. Both of my parents are goldsmiths, so I grew up in a studio, I grew up polishing, filing, cutting; it was a chore. It wasn’t for fun. And so I left it.

When my parents separated I always promised myself I’d have nothing to do with jewelry, so I went on to college to do advertising and marketing, and I actually went on to work in the film industry for 10 years.

When I got back to Brazil I was stressed out because I couldn’t find a job, and my mom convinced me to go into a jewelry class. And I took a piece of metal, made a ring, and I never stopped.

Q. You pretty much make any type of jewelry. Can you explain the different styles you make?
A. We’re are actually in the process of finalizing our catalog with SQS Photography.

When I first starting doing this, I didn’t have a studio or a bench, and we couldn’t hammer things in the apartment. So my mom and I went out and bought pearls, and beads, and all these things, and we came up with the Wire Me Madly collection and did our first show on July 1st of last year. That’s what Audrey is going to be. It’s very delicate – thin chains, stones, rocks – just very girlish, in a way, so there’s no bench work on that, just wire. (Price range: $120 to $300)

Then we have Gia, which is the collection that I guess is what made me do jewelry, because I’m not a very girlie-girl, and I can never see myself wearing anything that’s very delicate. I love it, and could when I go out to a party or something, but it’s not my everyday thing. It was initially called Uno and now it embodies the whole Gia sense, which is geometric figures, squares, and rectangles – bold pieces that can be worn day or night.

So the whole idea of Gia is that she’s the modern girl that goes out to work, then to dinner, then to a party, and then she goes back to work the next day with the same clothes but feeling awesome, not skipping two beats about it – she’s just great.

She’s the modern girl. Gia is the type of jewelry that you can fit into anywhere that you’re going and still look fabulous. (Price range: $80 to $150)

And then there is Ivy, the more affordable part of the jewelry based on copper, like the bracelets. I mix copper, brass, and silver with very funky stuff, but I think it’s more of a bohemian, relaxed feel, the necklace you throw over the T-shirt; very casual, very easygoing, and it’s the most affordable line that we have. (Price rang: $48 to $98)

Where do you get your inspiration for your designs?
A. I guess I’m just inspired by life. I’m the kind of person who pays attention to the sidewalk and can notice a little flower growing in from the cracks. I’ve traveled all over the world, and that stays with me. When I lived in London, I always felt like I’d walk into a part of London that reminded me of Saõ Paulo, or that reminded me of New York. And when I’m in New York, sometimes I walk by a place and think, “Oh my God, this is so London,” or, “Oh my God, this is so Saõ Paulo.”

My inspiration comes from life in general, and things that I’ve been around. I love architecture, so that’s why both Gia and Ivy are so interesting to me, because it’s all about the shapes. The geometrical pieces that just reminds me of architecture.

I love the rain, I love the sun, I love the snow, you know? It’s not fun to walk around in the rain but it’s great to stay home and watch TV and drink hot chocolate. So I guess that’s it.

I think I’m just inspired by breathing.

Can you talk a little bit about your internship with Anna Sheffield?
A. Oh yeah, I’m really excited about it. They just need somebody to help keep everything organized, so whatever it is, I help out. They have all the girls they need for production, but yesterday they were really busy and just needed an extra hand, so I got to do all the oval buckle bracelets, and I was really excited about that. And Anna is a sweetheart, and all the girls there are just, it’s just fun to be there.

What do you hope for the future of your line?
A. I guess in five years, I want to be Anna Sheffield. I want to be at that point where I have a studio, and people working for me, and where my line is recognized, and stars are wearing it, and people are talking about it. That’s what I want – I want a business.

And I want to be able to do what she [Sheffield] is doing with me, and with all these other girls that are working for her, interns coming in for school credit. This is totally something I’d like to do, have interns come in and see all the facets of the business: see the stocking parts, the e-mail, dealing with clients, accounting, and actually making stuff, and have them come in and see the business as a whole, and work enough to understand how hard it is. But I want them to be there and understand it, and I want it to be as rewarding as Anna Sheffield is.

You can find the Gia Fragalli Collection on Etsy.com.

Gia is also offering creative workshops, whether you want to join the jewelry-making business or just get your hands dirty – which they will!