Today we’d like to introduce you to Skip Benefiet.
Hi Skip, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started Malachite Silver Co. during peak quarantine, mostly to occupy some of my down time, but it quickly turned into something so much more. I fell head over heels for every aspect of silver-smithing and starting a small business. I am a self-taught smith with 6 years of experience and mainly work out of my cozy in home studio in Portland, Oregon where I fabricate each piece by hand from start to finish. I am focused on sustainability in my process and create seamless pieces made to stand the test of time. I got into the world of teaching metal-smithing in 2025 and am absolutely loving sharing my knowledge and building the smithing community here in Portland..
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t think anyone running their own business, especially completely on their own, has had a smooth road. It’s a constant battle with imposter syndrome and working 24/7. But I wouldn’t change it for the world, and it is all worth it.
Being a “luxury” business in the current state of the world and economy has proven to be one of the most difficult aspects of my business recently. But as a small business owner, you learn how to pivot and figure things out, which is one of the reasons I dove into the world of teaching. I love it more than I ever thought was possible.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I create handcrafted jewelry with an emphasis on sterling silver in my cozy, in-home studio in Portland, Oregon. Each piece is made entirely by hand, from start to finish, and I take great pride in creating high-quality, seamless wearable art designed to last a lifetime. I do not use any pre-fabricated work in my pieces so each piece is one-of-a-kind and truly unique. I source my stones from small, woman-owned businesses, with many of them coming from a close friend here in Portland. I’ve also recently started cutting my own stones, adding another personal touch to my work. Whenever possible, I purchase my other supplies from small, independent businesses as well. I truly believe that my work is unique and of a very high quality. Since I do not use any sort of pre-fabricated elements in my work each piece is one-of-a-kind and distinguishable. People can often recognize my work in the wild and it truly lights me up. I also want people to feel good about where their money goes and with me supporting other small-businesses for my supplies I am keeping money in our communities.
I am completely self-taught and am so proud of how far I have come along and progressed in the craft in the last 6 years, I am able to fully support myself and my two pups with my business which is something that has taken a lot of resilience and hard work to achieve. Second, I have started teaching metal-smithing this past year in Portland at two places and am absolutely blown away and honored that I can sell out classes and be requested to teach so frequently in multi-week courses, private lessons and group classes.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I absolutely love collaborating and working with other artists and have done so with folks in many industries from the lapidary field to body healing work. There are so many possibilities and I would love to do more. Supporting any small business can be done in so many ways and all of them make such a huge difference in our lives. From liking and sharing our pages and work to purchasing our work, it all makes such a huge impact and I am forever grateful!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.malachitesilverco.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malachitesilverco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/malachitesilverco
