René Venegas, a 16th-generation master silversmith, specializes in custom, hand-crafted fine jewelry. As the proprietor of Galleon’s Gold Jewelry, alongside his wife Jenny, he offers a wide range of services including jewelry making and silversmithing classes, repair work, polishing, and appraisal services. His family has a rich history in the craft, with ancestors among the first to arrive in the Americas during Christopher Columbus’ third voyage. Rene’s ancestor, Felipe Venegas, was the master silversmith for early Catholic cathedrals in the Dominican Republic and was credited in stamping the first European coins in the New World.

René immigrated to the United States about 20 years ago and has dedicated over 15 years to teaching jewelry design and silversmithing at Weber State University.  Since its inception, he has also taught at The Local Artisan Collective in Ogden, where he not only shares his expertise but also showcases and sells his hand-crafted fine jewelry.

His expertise has earned him recognition, with features in The Standard Examiner, The Signpost, KUTV Inside the Story, FOX13 Good Morning Utah, The Salt Project, KTVX Good Things Utah as well as Fresh Living on KUTV. Most recently, he was awarded Ogden City’s Mayor’s Art Award for Folk Art.