Daniel Grandi's jewelry-making experience began in Thailand in the late 1960's as a 13-year old apprentice in his parents' jewelry company, which made high quality 18 and 22K custom gold jewelry. Daniel worked alongside older goldsmiths working with traditional tools and methods; out of necessity, they made many of their own tools. Eventually, it was decided that the company would have to start casting their pieces in order to meet the demand.

Working with the company's caster, Daniel learned casting, model making, and how to hand-cut molds. The complexity of Thai jewelry design in the 1960's and 70's required the development of special techniques in order to create products that retained the look and feel of hand made jewelry, but which could be easily reproduced.

In 1980 Daniel moved to the US and worked as a jewelry machine designer. He also worked and developed vulcanized silicone rubber for Lost-Wax Industries. As a jewelry machine designer for Lostwax, he also worked in sales and had the opportunity to visit large jewelry manufacturers all over the U.S. and abroad; he was recognized for his experience in high-volume manufacturing and was consulted when problems were encountered. Today he puts his nearly four decades of experience to work at RaceCar Jewelry Co., a full-service investment casting and finishing shop in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, which can produce raw and finished products in all metals, he says, but "unobtanium.".