Martin W. Hassing
President, appraiser and jeweler extraordinaire, Martin has been creating, repairing and appraising jewelry since 1974. With modest beginnings in the basement of his house, Marty has since moved operations to a restored house in Webster Groves where he continues to fill the showroom with amazing designs. His achievements include winning the prestigious AGTA Spectrum award in 1991, completing the Gemological Institute of America’s Advanced Diamond Setting, Diamond Grading and Gem Identification courses. He has also taught metal-working and stone setting workshops at Maryville, Webster and Southern Illinois Universities. A world traveler, Martin journeys annually to Asia and South America to hand-select loose gemstones, pearls and some finished jewelry. Willing to take on nearly any project, Marty is a master of his craft and one of the very few metal casters in St. Louis. He has worked in platinum, gold and silver with a penchant for imaginative metal fabrication.
Gayle Gourdé Camp
Designer, Sales Associate and bench jeweler, Gayle has been with Summit since 2006. Gayle graduated from the University of Kansas with a BFA degree from the school of design emphasizing metal-smithing. She is a graduate of the G.I.A. Diamonds and Diamond Grading course. She has brought to Summit experience with metal fabrication, enameling, forming, casting and stone setting. With a flair for the whimsical and unusual, her designs have big personality. She also is a painter, sculptor and illustrator and has shown her artwork around St. Louis. She has added Matrix CAD to her long list of talents. (And she is our lovely model for some of our print ads!!!). She and her husband are very busy keeping up with their two young sons and two kitties.
Peter Sutton
A G.I.A. Graduate Jeweler Gemologist, Peter joined the crew at Summit in October of 2013. He has over twenty years experience in the field, ranging from design to metalsmithing and appraising. Raised in the St. Louis area, he returns to us after spending many years in Raleigh, North Carolina and New Orleans, Louisiana. He and his husband are serious foodies willing to offer a list of must-eat recommendations. Peter comes from a close-knit family with a long history in the carnival industry, and makes a mean funnel cake.
Cindy Sexton
Behind the scenes at Summit is Cindy, our master-jeweler, bench-woman of many talents. She joined the team in the fall of 2016 with over 30 years of experience in the jewelry trade. She is a graduate of the University of Southern Illinois at Edwardsville with a degree in metalsmithing and design and brings to Summit a huge range of skills from design, wax carving, fabrication and stone setting to pearl stringing. A perfectionist when it comes to her craft, her attention to detail and artistic sensibilities are a welcome addition to Summit. A woman of many interests, Cindy likes to spend time camping, boating and swimming with her husband, extended family and two dogs, Mylie and Ozzie.
Buddy
The sweetest member of our family, Buddy enjoys belly rubs, dog biscuits, and chasing tennis balls.
Yadi
Our resident “puppy #1” who greets all our guests. He enjoys holding hands, random objects that don’t belong to him, sticks, and stealing his big brother’s ball. Also, excited to finally have a little brother who will he can teach all his “tricks” to.
BeBe
BeBe, a beagle/husky mix, is our little rescue dog. She enjoys her favorite chair, occasionally greeting guests but doesn’t care much for her brothers.
ROSCOE
Meet the newest member of our family. Roscoe is our “foster failure” because, after just spending a couple of weeks with him, Marty knew he had to stay. Roscoe and Buddy love to cuddle, and now Yadi has a younger brother to run and play with. And Bebe? She is tolerating all the “puppiness” that surrounds her.