For the Love of Jewels...

Jeweler, Metalsmith, Goldsmith, Silversmith? What are we?

2009-05-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

Naked Jewelry

Unless you have been living under a rock, you are probably aware of the Orchid network for jewelry professional and hobbyists. This online forum is one of the most valuable sources of information for me as a jewelry designer thirsty for knowledge from those with more experience.

Recently a fascinating thread has been circulating that someone started by asking a simple question. What do people who make and/or sell jewelry call themselves?

You might think we'd know this seemingly simple answer but it sparked a debate that is going on several days now.

The consensus seems to be that we are JEWELERS...and that a person is a JEWELER is they sell jewelry, even if they don't know much about making it. However that doesn't make a person necessarily a BENCH JEWELER who must apparently know how to do repairs as well as make jewelry.

And, a person can be a GOLDSMITH even if they never work with gold. A goldsmith, we learned, is any person who makes small objects of precious metals, usually for personal adornment. It was also said that a GOLDSMITH must see the big picture; creating from initial conception through completion.

A SILVERSMITH on the other hand, is a person who works on larger hollowware; things like candleholders, knifes, forks, spoons, plates etc....

Some call themselves METALSMITHS, however, one person mentioned that she has been contacted to make wrought iron and shoe horses...not exactly the same thing!

Given that I rarely work with gold, I hardly feel that "goldsmith" works for me, though it sure sounds nice! I previously thought a better term for me was either "metalsmith" or "silversmith" but I learned that neither of those are right at all!

So, I have decided I am a JEWELER. I like the ring to that as well, although as a "jeweler" I have so much still to learn from far more accomplished jewelers. At one of my classes, I noticed a man wearing an apron that said "Jeweler In Training". Maybe that's me!

Thanks for stopping by!
Sally

Linda Gebert: Abstracts and Color!

2009-05-05T18:09:00.000-07:00

Linda Gebert

I first encountered Linda Gebert through the Ganoksin Gallery. Her work stood out to me as particularly colorful and joyful. Then I discovered that aside from her jewelry designs, Linda also works in fibers. I asked her about working as a metalsmith, enamel expert and fiber artist:

I hadn’t consciously considered a connection before, but since they spring from a common brain they must.

I transitioned from painting to enamels, then included metal working, missed working with color there, so

combined enameling into my jewelry. I had always wanted to try silk painting, loving the lush way silk absorbs

dye, but held myself back, thinking I needed to narrow the focus and perfect one medium, instead of being all

over the map. The restless mind would not behave, so I started with silk painting, and gradually added the

needle felting too. I enjoy the different way of working, actually, physically, that each presents. I find there’s

also new sense of enthusiasm in being away from one media for a while. It renews the spirit, and spurs the

muse.

Your enamels have a quirky, joyful quality...how would you describe your style?

Abstract, first and foremost. Every piece is approached as a new direction, to see what the serendipitous

medium of enamel can do. I often work on several little “canvasses” of copper or silver, concurrently. Then I

decide which speak to me the most, and the chosen ones become pieces of jewelry.

Linda also specializes in "faux bone" pieces. I asked about the attraction to this material.

This is something that appealed to me, but I’m very new at it, and my pieces are pretty derivative of the

wonderfully inventive Robert Dancik’s examples so far. Things from the natural world, rocks, leaf skeletons,

bone, shells have always held a fascination, and this product is so easily made to look like something natural

and organic. Germinating in my head right now, are ideas of the earthy, primitive look of bone, combined in

pieces, with enamel. Stay tuned.

Who have been your greatest influences over the years?

First I have to answer to “what”, and that is growing up visiting the Wichita Center for the Arts, and it’s vast

collection of enamels. From childhood, I knew I wanted to work in that medium. For many years we had the

“Midwest Enamelist Guild”, founded by Australian enamellist Glenice Lesley Matthews, who was Director of

the Center for a time. Through this organization we brought many renowned enamellists to the Center,

including Rebekah Laskin, JoAnn Tanzer, Harlan Butt and others. Rebekah Laskin probably influenced me the

most, as to the style of working. In painting? Larry Rivers.

How fortunate to have studied with John Cogswell! What do you think has been the most valuable lessons

from your teachers?

I’ve had workshops with many fine enamellists, as well as several metals people. From the Cogswell workshop,

I learned to dispense with formalty, as to the “proper way” to accomplish something. Instead, be pragmatic.

If it works for you, do it that way. It was license to experiment, and “cut corners” if the outcome was successful.

And what did you most enjoy about teaching?

I loved teaching enameling. Everyone knows how to make a line with a pencil on paper, but executing many

lines to make a stunning drawing is the real trick. But students come to enameling not knowing anything

intuitively, or experientially, about it, so creating their first object in enamel is such a thrill of discovery for them.

That makes it all worthwhile. I always emphasized that it is the most empirical of learning experiences. Enamel

is very serendipitous, and you only become an expert when you can figure out why it did something unexpected,

and find you have the ability to duplicate what happened.

What advice do you have for weathering this economy?

Since I don’t depend on sales of my work as my only income, I’ve been disappointed at the drop in sales at the

galleries and museums where my work is placed, but not devastated.

What advice do you have for fledgling jewelry designers?

Wow, if I had a wonderful nugget of advice, I’d give it to myself. I’ve always had to balance my art with making a living elsewhere, and earlier, raising children too. I never had the luxury of doing it full time. I guess the best advice would be to study with someone who will push you to your limits. And keep learning, always.

Where can your work be seen?

I show in local and regional galleries in Kansas, the Wichita Art Museum, Karg Glass Gallery, and several others

around the state. I found it was difficult to monitor what was happening with work placed farther away. Your

readers/viewers can see work on my website at http://homepage.mac.com/lgebertsilverjewelry.

I really appreciate Linda's sense of abstract color! Her work is ever so lovely!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sally

Jay Whaley: Teacher, Toolmaker, Jewelry Master

2009-03-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

Jay Whaley In Class

I’ve been hearing about Jay Whaley’s rolling mill workshop for quite some time now. It seems that whenever the topic of rolling mills comes up, his name is in the next breath. So when I had a chance to take his workshop this past February…well, I jumped at the chance, even though it meant a 2 ½ hour drive to San Diego from LA!

Jay is a 30-year master jeweler who now spends most of his efforts teaching and designing jeweler’s tools. He heads the jewelry department of the University of California San Diego and teaches in his own studio. His Whaley Workshops studio is located in a quaint, upstairs space overlooking a trendy street about 20 minutes east of downtown San Diego. Jay is so upbeat and passionate about his work that the fun he creates is contagious. In the class, I learned far more than I imagined, including pouring ingots creating my own precious metals alloys such as sterling and 18 karat gold and rolling them into custom wire, bezel and sheet. I asked Jay about why he teaches this method:

I guess you mean why I alloy my own metals. It is simpler for me, actually. With a wide selection of alloys I keep on hand, which are pretty inexpensive, really, and pure silver and gold, I am ready to create any color or carat of gold I want, in any amount at all. I can custom make my own “high-tech” sterling with alloys I buy that are far superior, in every way, to ordinary sterling silver. I make custom wire and sheet stock myself that I could never find in a catalog, and I make it faster than I could order it. It’s true!

Why do you think most jewelers purchase their metal materials instead of making it? What is stopping most jewelers from taking this extra step do you think?

Well, there are many reasons. Many goldsmiths don’t understand just how easy it is to alloy your own metals. It seems so complicated, with those formulas and careful weighing, etc. It’s really easy with an alloy chart and an accurate scale. The quality of my “home-made” alloys is very high, and color and workability is excellent. I wouldn’t use it if it was problematic. Many jewelers feel that the time spent to hand-make their own stock is wasted time. Some forms take much longer than others, I would admit. I just can’t buy the stock I want from any catalog, and I refuse to pay the premiums commercially made metals cost, as well as waiting at the post office to pick it up!!

Tell us how you first got started making jewelry. Who were you most influenced by and why did you pursue this path?

I took my first art class my junior year in high school, after my mother’s suggestion. There, I learned how to lost wax cast, the year, 1968. In that class, I cast a set of sterling wedding bands for my parents, and entered them in the Scholastic Art Show, a national juried art show for high school students. I won a National Semi-Finalist Award for my rings, and that was probably the event which propelled me into making (or teaching) jewelry-making for the rest of my life. So you could say that my mother was my first important influence!

You are well-known now as a teacher. What particular satisfaction do you get from teaching jewelry making techniques?

I have exhibited jewelry , drawings, and sculpture in galleries and juried shows through the years, but never found that particular satisfaction that showing others how to make something themselves gives me. After so many years of experimenting with jewelry forms and techniques, I feel I can create pretty much whatever I want, but experiencing the glow of accomplishment from someone who has completed an original piece of jewelry to their satisfaction, is quite profound to me. I love teaching.

You are also making instructional videos. What about that appeals to you?

I am just now learning just how valuable the internet can be. My old brain was trying to figure out how many students I could get into my studio for each workshop I offered. Now I have learned that by creating instructional videos, I can reach out much farther than my shop in San Diego, and virtually teach around the world. My brain is expanding with the possibilities online…

You also invent jeweler's tools...tell us about this aspect of your work. What are your favorite self-designed tools?

The first one, “Heetrix” was just a solution to a bench problem I had to resolve. I was working in a very small bench space in the lobby of the old Jeweler’s Exchange Bldg. in San Diego. My workbench was quite cramped, and my soldering had to be done where I did my fabrication work. Heetrix was the rotating soldering tray that swiveled out of my way when I wasn’t using it. I still use that soldering fixture almost every day in my studio. I pour all my own ingots, and used a pair of tongs and a melting dish for years. My students had real difficulties making ingot pours, until I bent some heavy stainless steel rod into my first ‘wire-handled ingot pourer” or WHIP, for short. Now that operation is really easy for me and all my students, and much safer, too.

What do you think is the cleverest tool you've designed so far? Any sneak peeks of anything coming up soon?

I have gotten pretty proficient at bending heavy stainless rod to create heat-proof clamping fixtures. One which is “on hold” for now is a “speed clamp” for the ingot mold, which doesn’t get hot, helps steady and direct the pouring process, but is going to be hard to manufacture, I know. Then again, I may be one of the only customers for such a tool… I do have a couple of really clever tools coming up, that I’m not ready to produce or market yet. I have been through a few different prototypes, and with one, it is just so trick… well, I need to get it into the marketplace! My prototype machinist gets calls from me every week to check on his progress.

Jay also has “Wedding Workshops” where novice couples design and make their own wedding rings…under the close supervision of Jay’s expertise.

Again, taking a couple who has never picked up a hand tool, and guiding them through all the steps needed to make rings for each other, that they actually make with their own hands, well, it’s magical. I have seen tears in couples’ eyes after their rings are finally finished. Not even close to the experience you get when you buy a ring out of a store. It’s wildly gratifying for me, in the strongest possible way.

How would you describe your own style of jewelry?

I have jokingly called myself a “jewelry whore”, because I do custom work of about any description. They tell me what they want, pay me for it, and I perform… My own designs are more mechanical, rather hard-edged, carefully finished. Unfortunately, with my schedule the way it is now, I really don’t have much time to make my own designs, or even custom work anymore. Actually, that is a good thing, as my hands are going out. Jewelers never discuss this aging problem, but it happens. My old hands are just wearing out from all the hard use over the years. I can still do the work, but the next day, my hands are really trashed, and hard to move.

What advice do you have for fledgling jewelry designers?

Just learn everything you can. Try everything, experiment with everything. Learn something from every “expert” you can, but don’t think “their way” is the only way,( including my own way). Making and selling jewelry is damned hard to do effectively, and honestly I don’t know what sage advice I could give someone trying to be successful at it. It’s also a bad economic climate now, which doesn’t help matters, either.

Jay’s first instructional video offered for sale is on Making A Roller Printed Ring:

You can also see several of his other videos on the Ganoksin BenchTube:

It has been a pleasure getting to know Jay and his wonderful assistant, Terrie! (I saw one of his tool prototypes and it’s very cool so stand by!)

Thanks for stopping by!
Sally

Gordon Aatlo: Stunning Gemstone Swirls and Orbits!

2009-03-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

Gordon Aatlo

Swirl Rings

Orbit Ring

Two Blossoms

Torus Ring Pendant

Swirl Pendant

I first learned about Gordon Aatlo through a request I put out on LinkedIn seeking “the best-of-the-best” jewelry designers. Numerous wonderful designers came forward (some to be included in this blog down the line), but Gordon Aatlo's work was so clearly outstanding!

Born in Minnesota, Gordon moved to San Francisco at a young age. With his uncle as jeweler to the King of Norway and his father an accomplished bench jeweler, Gordon followed in their footsteps and has enjoyed a lifelong career as a designer, producing all of his own work himself, from concept to finished piece.

Gordon debuted several new pieces at the AGTV Tucson show including his Orbit and Swirl Rings which are published on this blog for the first time. Gordon’s assistant, Christine, also mentioned that his work was featured during an ACTV meeting of the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers where they noted that they were putting a different appraisal value on work actually hand made by designers.

Here’s a few moments with Gordon:

It is fascinating to interview a person such as you who has made a lifelong success as a jewelry designer/creator; still with what appears to be a passion for the craft. What do you most enjoy about this career choice?

There are many things I enjoy about my career choice! First, and most important is, I look forward to going into the studio each day, developing new designs that I like. I have the freedom to pursue and experiment with no outside influences or expectations. The other aspect that I enjoy is the people I meet, gemstone artists, suppliers, and clients, who enjoy and appreciate fine jewelry and gemstones.

You write on your website so eloquently about the time early in your apprenticeship when your skills started to come together and the work began to flow...how is it that you so clearly remember that period and what do you think triggered that "ah ha" moment?

I clearly remember that period because I had worked so hard, struggled really, for over a year and I had my doubts many times that my work would never progress. I can’t say that there was one moment, it was more of a gradual progression of improvement in both technical and design skills, until the one day I had a finished piece in my hand that I was satisfied with. Gradually, with every new project, I came to have more confidence and an excitement for the possibilities of what I could accomplish.

I continue to have “ah-ha” moments!

How would you describe your style?

If I have to choose one style that encompasses a description of my designs, I would have to say modern. I feel my style is wide open as I’m not structured or rigid with a design that it can’t be changed. I chose modern over contemporary because I think contemporary describes more of a style that is of the moment and I think my designs stand the test of time and cannot be defined to an era.

My styles and designs are subject to where the gemstone and idea are leading me to the moment I start to develop the design. When I first started showing my work in Tucson, my assistant would be asked “How many designers do you represent?” That is how varied my styles are. I might create a series of pieces, such as the Swirl Pendants, no two pieces are ever the same?

Tell us about the importance of gemstones in your pieces and how you work with gemstone artists?

Gemstones are the centerpiece of each design and for me, I am attracted to the gemstone first, and then develop the design. The color, cut, shape, size and quality all play a part in what design will best showcase the gem to its best advantage. The shape and size will naturally dictate some part of the design: curved lines for round stones, straight lines for trillion or cushion shaped. The gemstone color also will dictate what metal I use. Sometimes I will use both gold and platinum and I like to set cooler colors, like Tanzanite in platinum or white gold, but not always.

Artistic gemstones are the biggest challenge of all, finding the perfect balance between showcasing the work of art and creating an interesting design to showcase the gem. Arthur Lee Anderson’s work is so precise and the optics are fascinating. His Webbed Halo cuts and Blossom cuts are some of my favorite to work with. Glenn Lehrer “Torus Ring” gems are challenging, whether they are round or rectangular, because of the hole in the center. Sometimes I fill the hole with a diamond set in a bezel and there have been pieces where I set another Torus Ring inside of the Torus Ring. Michael Dyber’s work is fantastic and is so is the work of Larry Woods and Daylan Hargrave.

Berndt Munsteiner’s work has sometimes been my biggest challenge. I am intrigued by the gem, the cut, the size, but the idea isn’t there. I had a pair of Ametrine’s he cut, large and flat, and not matched for size or shape. I had done many designs for Munsteiner’s single gems, but these demanded something special. They sat in the safe for years until one Sunday, while I was reading the newspaper, the idea struck. I went to my desk and in five minutes I had my idea sketched. The finished pieces were all I had hoped they would be.

I do collaborate with the artists when I have an idea and they will design a gem for me, but most of the time I see what they’ve done and get inspiration from their beautiful and unusual work.

I love the work of all of the artists and it’s hard to pass up a beautiful gem and often I don’t! I have many gems sitting in the safe and I’m waiting for that great idea to strike.

You have a section on your website you call "Gordon's Favorites". What becomes a favorite for you?

There are many reason’s a piece becomes a favorite. It can be because from start to finish how the work flowed, how it came together, from finding the gem and the excitement I have while developing the design and even how the metal seemed to lend itself to the design. Another part of what makes it a favorite is the response from people as they see the piece and enjoy it as much as I do.

As I say on the website, I am happy with everything I produce and it’s hard to pick favorites!

Tell us about your new designs which you premiered at the Tucson show?

For Tucson this year, I premiered new designs in rings, pendants and bracelets, and also continued designs in the current Swirl and Petal Pendant series that have been popular with my clients.

The new rings are highlighted by one Tsavorite Garnet and diamond ring which received lots of attention for its design. Some people thought it reminded them of an amusement park ride, some the solar system! We’ve taken a consensus and have decided to call it “Orbit” Other rings premiered are in the same style and feature Pink Sapphires, Spessartite Garnets and Blue Sapphires. They are flatter than the Orbit and easier to wear.

New pendant designs included Paraiba Tourmaline’s cut by Glenn Lehrer; one set in yellow gold and one set in platinum. Both designs were very well received. I featured versions of my AGTA Spectrum Award winning design featuring new work by Arthur Lee Anderson and his new cut, the Spired Webbed Halo cuts in Citrine.

Another pendant shown this year is a continuation of the Deco inspired pieces in gold, platinum and Lapis. Because of the response, I am working on new pieces in this series in pendants, rings and cuffs.

New bracelets this year included a free form yellow gold multi-colored Sapphire and Diamond cuff with matching earrings and a fabulous Pearl cuff with large, natural colored pearls ranging in color in white, pink, peach and lavender tones, diamonds and multi-colored sapphires. Another cuff, more streamlined and structured, showcasing another Arthur Lee Anderson Amethyst, was premiered.

As the designs are all one of a kind, we have a lot of visitors to the booth that are always interested to see what we’ve brought along.

How was the show for you and what did you perceive to be the biggest change with this economy factored in? What was the overall theme you heard from other jewelers?

We did consider the current economic situation months before the show and that did play a part in what pieces were developed to premiere at the show. I followed my instincts and created pieces I thought were right and know my clients expect to see from me.

Although attendance was down, we were quite pleased to see that most buyers were focusing not only on the design, but the quality of the work and the value. Great designs, big looks and quality of workmanship are what we offer and new customer’s are amazed how affordable my work is.

In the AGTA section “Spectrum of Design” most of the designer’s I talked to expressed some surprise as to buyers being more interested in the higher end, unique pieces. With none of us really knowing what to expect and that comes with any show, most of us were pleasantly surprised. And I do think that has to do with buyers appreciating more and more they need to set themselves apart and offer their clients something different.

As someone who has been successful through many years of good and bad economic times, what advice do you have for the rest of us?

My first bit of advice is to be strong in your convictions and go forward with your ideas and appreciate your talent. We have to do whatever it takes, whether its longer hours or cutting back on expenses. It does get scary, but as artists it can be that way in good times too. There always seems to be something out there to get you through. Hang in there and have faith in your talent and yourself.

What a pleasure to feature Gordon Aatlo’s work! His upcoming show schedule is:

Paradise City Art Festival - Spring Schedule:

Marlborough, Mass: March 20, 21 & 22

Philadelphia: May 1, 2 and 3

Northampton, Mass: May 23, 24 and 25

Thanks for stopping by!

Sally

Chuck Domitrovich: Etsy Excellence!

2009-03-07T14:49:00.000-08:00

Chuck Domitrovich In His Studio

I heard about Chuck Domitrovich through Etsy. He was profiled on the site and I was enamored first by his devotion to giving back to his community but also by his phenomenal success on Etsy. I have a site there too though mine has nowhere near the 1,400+ sales Chuck has enjoyed on his site, DownToTheWireDesigns. And since the topic of Etsy has been a lively thread on the Orchid forum recently—with designers questioning whether it is a good outlet for their work, I thought Chuck’s story would resonate with the community. Chuck quit his job as a machinist about a year ago, and now makes a successful living creating and selling jewelry.

Quitting my day job had been a dream of mine for a long time. Leaving that job was made more difficult by the fact that I was well-paid and was allowed to have a very flexible schedule. It was easy to work there and pursue my career as a jeweler at the same time and the steady paycheck was a comfort. But I began to realize that even though I had managed to structure the job to fit around the demands of my jewelry pursuits, that every hour I spent at my day job was an hour not invested in my own business. In the end, despite the benefits of keeping the job, it was ultimately holding me back.

Since quitting for good, I have not looked back. It has been a struggle with the recent downturn in the economy, but I had a pretty realistic perspective on things before quitting. I knew it would be a challenge and that success was something I would have to work at and would not just achieve overnight. I am confident that I made the right decision and am happy to be taking this opportunity.

I love the name of your company! Does it have to do with making the decision to leave your previous job?

The name came long before the job and is based on two things. The first is that after graduating from the University of Washington and being without access to a studio, I took up wire work. Mostly I was doing the beads and spirals thing but one day I stumbled onto a design that reignited my desire to be a jeweler. Soon after that, I quit my job and used the money I had saved to buy some tools and equipment and start my own workspace. The name derives from this earlier style which was still heavily dependent on wirework. But it also alludes to an unfortunate gift that I seem to have (or is it that I am cursed with it?) where I always seem to know exactly how much time any given piece will take to complete. So in that sense, I am always finishing things at the very last moment.

But in the era of large corporations paying millions of dollars to sports franchises to buy the right of naming their stadium after the company just to get a mention once or twice during each game, I have to laugh at the free promotion I get every time a game is close. (“This one is going Down to the Wire.”)

You have been highly successful selling on Etsy....what do you think it takes to break through the crowd? What is your best tip for Etsy success?

I am in most ways a very low tech person. My computer and even my camera skills really only go as far as the needs of my shop. So while I have given some of the social networking sites a try and have installed the Google analytics to my Etsy shop, I still tend to favor low tech methods of reaching people.

When I started on Etsy, I would look for every opportunity to promote myself. If people weren’t visiting my shop, I would make myself a presence on the rest of the site and they would see me and get familiar with me there, hopefully checking out my shop eventually. To this end, I basically devised a series of publicity stunts to make myself stand out from the crowd. In one of these, I went through every single archived page of the Etc. forum and posted happy birthday wishes to every old out-of-date birthday thread ever posted that was not attached to a birthday sale. The forums were in chaos that day and it took quite a while before everyone knew what was going on—but everyone who was paying attention suddenly knew who I was. My advice to others would be to look for every opportunity and know that many of them won’t come in the prescribed forms that everyone else is looking to.

That said, the best way of standing out is for your work to stand out. If your work is similar to that of others, it is always going to be a struggle because you are always going to be competing on price. If your work is unique, then people have to buy from you if they want it. Also, the more skilled you are, the less competition you will have. If your work is similar to that of many others, take the classes you need to learn the skills that will set you apart.
You seem clear on the notion that it takes constant work and vigilance to keep up with online selling. How much time do you think it takes to be effective doing this part of the job?

I think that depends on how disciplined you are. You need to realize that part of each day will need to be spent at the computer but know also that it is easy to lose yourself there. If you can, set aside a part of each day to deal with answering emails, listing new work, and perhaps updating your blog, but limit yourself to that time. I would also encourage everyone to spend a little time exploring the Etsy site. If you know what is there and how it works (for instance, being familiar with all the options for buyers to find things on the site) you will be better able to use those things to your advantage.

You focus on a great deal of pattern in your pieces...why does that interest you?

Patterns are a good way to add texture to a piece—to break up the monotony of the plain metal. Since I do not work much with color, mixing different types of metals and textures into a piece can make it more visually interesting. I find that even in my sterling and titanium pieces I often am scoring or hammering the titanium panels or wire for the same reason.

Tell us about your inspiration of the Vienna Workshops and the Arts and Crafts movement...

The Vienna Workshops were a very idealistic experiment. They sought to use modern technologies to make art accessible to the masses. In many ways they were not successful, but they were one of the first serious arts groups to even make the effort. I try to do the same in my own work. Even though I have sold at high end galleries, it is very important to me that my work is available to all. Growing up in a working class family, it would never feel right to me to sell only work that no one I know could afford to buy.

As an offshoot of the Arts and Crafts movement, the Vienna Workshops had a very clean sense of design that appeals to me. Much of my work is based on simple geometric shapes with contrasting metal tones. The patterned metal that I use in my work reminds me of the innovative materials that they used in theirs.

You also have said you are inspired by African and Pacific Island jewelry. What about it appeals to you?

I have always found tribal jewelry intriguing both because of the textures that are employed in the work and the sense of conservation that is inherent in it. Much of the texture in this work is a result of the technologies that is being used in its creation. Often pieces are simply tied or wired together, with the binding agent becoming a part of the aesthetic. So a shell, stone, or bone, will have its smooth surface broken by the wire or cord connecting it to the other elements in the piece. In many pieces, the elements are repeated, with those layers adding texture to the piece. In an age of machined goods that are often smooth and perfect, I find that texture and imperfection point to the human origin of a piece—I find that very refreshing.
I love the fact that absolutely anything is seen as a legitimate object to be incorporated into the jewelry. Many of the elements are natural—teeth, bones, shells, stones, even the skulls of small animals—but you are just as likely to see electrical wires, or buttons, or pieces of aluminum cans used. And when something is damaged or broken, instead of it being thrown away, the piece is often repaired, with the rivets or wire that is used to patch the piece, adding to its overall design. Yet it is very important to me to make my work distinct from the styles that influence it. This is especially true in the case of the tribal work that I admire. Taking from this work without trying to reinterpret it just removes it from its cultural context and does it a disservice. I would no sooner take directly from this work as I would any other artist selling on Etsy or anywhere else. It just feels wrong to me.

How would you describe your style?

With my production line work, I try to keep things simple using bold shapes and strong lines. I do not use much color, so I use texture and pattern to catch the eye. I strive to create pieces that are classically proportioned and could have come from some time in the past while still being stylish today. I also like to be playful in my work. Making jewelry is fun for me and I like to share that sense of fun with others. So in that sense, I like work that is versatile. My padlock earrings can be worn with one of two patterns showing, making them essentially two pairs of earrings in one. I like work that includes moving parts—like my orbit ring series. I like to make pieces that go beyond just making a visual impression to include sound. My round rattle necklace achieves this. In these ways, I try to make work that exceeds expectations. In many of my one of a kind pieces I try to strike a balance between the natural and the industrial, with each piece being sort of like a talisman of the modern age while yearning for a more ideal, less complicated past. With these pieces, I often try to achieve the feeling that they were dug up at an archaeological site—broken and from a distant past, yet still somehow speaking to us.
I first noticed you when a story was published about your commitment to donation of your work for charity. Tell us about this... Has the economic meltdown changed or affected this goal?

The financial meltdown was part of the inspiration for me doing the donation work. I was asked at my one big show of the year to donate something to a charity auction, and my first reaction was to be put off by the request (mostly because of when and where the request occurred). It was only upon looking back at that request that I realized just how needed it was in this economic environment and how very little it would impact me to give to virtually anyone who asked. So, I got the idea of committing to giving one donation a week throughout the year. So far, things have been slow. I have given away only one donation through the first eight weeks and was gone for two of those weeks on vacation. But I have 3 or 4 donations scheduled to go out this week and a few more lined up after that. I have also come up with a backup plan for the end of the year in the event that I am still behind schedule. My plan is to ultimately donate 52 necklace and earring sets to charity this year and I am determined to do that in one way or another.

Aside from Etsy, where can people see your work?

My work can be found in three galleries here in Seattle: La Tienda, Crackerjack, and Frank & Dunya. I also post photos of some of my older work and more upscale work—pieces not available on Etsy—on my blog and on my Flickr account. Finally, I have one ring in the Lark Books 1000 Rings book and some collaborative work in Lark’s 500 Pendants and Lockets and The Art of Jewelry: Polymer Clay. There are more collaborative pieces in Schiffer’s Art Jewelry Today as well as in both the 2006 and 2007 September issues of Art Jewelry magazine.

It was a pleasure getting to know Chuck! What a thrill to see a person take a chance, find success and give back; even amid this terrible economic time.

Thanks for stopping by!
Sally

Lisa Krikawa: Wonderful Wedding Rings and more!

2009-02-26T16:50:00.000-08:00

Lisa Krikawa

I heard about Lisa Krikawa of Krikawa Jewelry Designs upon learning that she won the latest Mort Abelson Scholarship to the Revere Academy Masters Symposium. It was the first contest I’ve entered as a jewelry designer. I didn’t expect to win, but I approached it as a new experience to learn how these things are done. It took me hours just to figure out how to submit the photos properly! So when I learned that a winner had been selected, I was fascinated to find out that it was Lisa.

Lisa specializes in custom wedding rings and unique lockets. She is more than a single artisan; rather she has emerged as a small business owner with a staff of skilled goldsmiths.

Here’s a few minutes with Lisa:

Congratulations on your win of the Mort Abelson Scholarship to the Revere Academy Masters Symposium. What class will you take and what do you hope to get out the experience?

I am taking the micro-pavé class with Christo Kiffer. He is a master of micro-pavé, and an internationally respected, award-winning jewelry designer and goldsmith. Christo's vast experience includes a specialty in diamond setting which lead to his signature "Floating Channel" designs. I will be learning to set diamonds as small as .003ct, which is about the size of a ball on the end of a fine ball-point pen. I am a sucker for fine, microscopic detail. Truly fine jewelry should retain it's beauty under magnification.

Your work seems to specialize in interesting and unusual wedding rings. Why is this your focus?

I have a hard time with making jewelry just to make pretty jewelry. My passion lies in putting my talent (and that of my extremely talented staff) to use by making something that is meaningful. One of the most rewarding experiences for me in this business occurs when I collaborate with my client and my staff to create a beautiful wedding set that is designed around our client's specifications and brought to a fabulous 3-D existence by my creative team. As it turns out, this is an incredibly meaningful experience for our clients as well, and the icing on the cake occurs when we get their response to the final rings and their exceptional experience with us.

What appeals to you about mokume-gane? Do you make your own?

From the beginning, I have considered myself a metalsmith first and foremost. As an artist, my preferred palette has always been the palette of precious metals, from green gold to gray gold and all the colors in-between. Mokume-gane was a perfect medium for me. We hand-pattern our mokume in-house.

You also do fantastic specialized work in lockets which is unusual....what do you like about creating lockets?

Lockets are precision projects that contain meaning inside and out. Mechanisms such as hinges and catches give me a technical challenge, while the concept of hidden compartments capture my imaginiation.

You have a larger staff and business than most art jewelers. What do you think it requires to come to your level of success?

My greatest asset to my success has been my tenacious spirit and my business minded approach. I take nothing personally and look at nothing as a failure, only an opportunity for growth. My professional experience is enlightened by collaborating with other passionate and talented individuals, working together as a team, maturing and growing together, and resolving issues in a loving manner.

What do you see as the particular challenges and opportunities during these economic times?

The challenge of course is the consumer's general resistance to spending money. The opportunity is to help people express themselves through customized jewelry, as the general opinion of mass produced merchandise flags.

What advice would you give to fledgling jewelry designers?

Always follow your heart and do that which you are passionate about. Passion will provide sustenance regardless of monetary gains; it will sustain you in lean times. Enter into business only if you have a penchant for it, otherwise you will be miserable, bogged down in paperwork. Don't consider outside employment as a failure; rather use the time you have wisely and don't give up on your dream. And for success in any endeavor, embrace the four agreements: be impeccable in your word; don't take anything personally; don't make assumptions; and always do your best. We are each 100% responsible for our lives. Never, ever put blame on others. Let gratitude lead your way.

I love Lisa’s advice!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sally

Tom Herman: Carving Classic Romance!

2009-02-18T08:35:00.000-08:00

Tom Herman

Tom's studio

I heard about Tom Herman and Seven Finger Jewelers through my friend and mentor, Beth Rosengard. Tom’s classical work is absolutely stunning; and even more impressive upon discovering that his company was so named because as a small child, Tom lost three fingers in a farm accident. Clearly, Tom makes more with seven fingers than most of us do with ten but it is unusual enough that I started our interview by asking about it:

It’s no different than working with ten. I’ve never considered it a handicap, but it is distinctive so when I needed a name, I decided on Seven Fingers Jewelers. My high school years were hard, but as soon as I forgot that it was a handicap, then everyone else forgets as well. I go to craft shows with a back drop of my Seven Fingers Jewelers name and I’ll talk to customers sometimes two or three years in a row and they’ll sometimes say, “now why is it you call your company, Seven Fingers? “ And they will be surprised when I show them my hand…they just never noticed before.

Tom specializes in the ancient technique of metal carving.

Chasing is one of the oldest techniques in the world. I do almost all chasing because I start with thick enough metal to carve into and then take the metal and use punches to define it. I consider engraving a very hard technique to learn, but chasing… tap tap tap… you have a lot of control over the metal and I find it so ungodly easy to do because I do it a little bit at a time. Once you put your hand to it and once you know how to hold your work, it becomes very easy. I don’t mean to belittle the technique; it does take practice, but all those amazing pieces we think of in history such as work by Lalique, was all made by regular people. I find the hardest part to get people over is the romantic idea that it is really difficult to do this work. The point is to get off the romance and get on with the artistic part of it.

How would you describe your style?

Romantic I think and classical in many ways, combining organic forms and geometric balance. My work is inspired by nature. I don’t think there is any better designer than Mother Nature and I feel like the ideas are never ending. I look for natural form in stone and cut the stone to enhance its natural beauty and then design the piece around that. I think of it as collaborating with nature. Also, if you look at any classical work, there is always an element of focus. You can appreciate leaves because they are inside a frame. When you look at leaves in nature, there is no frame so you are not focused on them...the idea that you can’t see the forest for the trees…so that is the balance I try to put in my work, to focus the eye on the beauty of the design of nature by containing it within an architectural form that helps focus that beauty.
Like Faberge and Lalique, it’s that kind of quality I am after because it is timeless.. When I was 40, I saw a Lalique show and I realized that work was over a hundred years old. It is so poignant and so engaging that it is the kind of work I want to make; that is timeless and will endure year after year.

With much of your work priced in the five figures, how are you dealing with the economy?

I’ve been doing this for 30 years and I have learned many things over those years. I am not a pure artist. I have two kids and a wife and we have to make a living, so it is not just pure artistry. I don’t get to sit in my studio and think high thoughts, I have to make money. I believe the best way to do that is to use all the techniques that have been incorporated into my life and designing ability to make the very highest level work I can and that work will then find its own market because its beauty will attract people to it who can afford it.

What advice do you have for fledgling jewelry designers?

I think there is nothing more important than selling your own work. Galleries are good, but unless you are there watching people look at your work, you don’t get a true idea of whether you are touching them or not. I think it is really important to be there and watch people interpret your work. I find that there is nothing more valuable than seeing that. And, you really have to have the desire to do this. The desire is everything. I worked the first 7-8 years and made not a dime. It isn’t the kind of work where you will get out of school and find a job that pays $70,000 per year. That’s not going to happen. So, it is key to follow your desire and focus your desire. And, you have to be self motivated. I still work seven days a week often 10-12 hours a day and it is because I like it. It is because there are things inside me I can’t get out fast enough.

I so enjoyed my time with Tom. What an incredible talent and such a lovely person!

Tom will be at the Grove Park Inn Arts & Crafts Conference from February 19-22 and then at the American Craft Council, Baltimore from February 27-March 1.

Thanks for stopping by! Sally

Karen Olsen Ramsey: Dancing With Metal

2009-02-10T15:30:00.000-08:00

Karen Olsen Ramsey

Karen's Studio in Sierra Nevada, California

LaVite Luccicante

Les Tres Baigneurs

Frog's Leap

Satsuma Vine-Back

Satsuma Vine-Front

I was introduced to Karen Olsen Ramsey through my friend, Beth Rosengard. I had asked Beth for recommendations on people she thought to be great jewelry designers/creators and she gave me a tremendous list of people….many of whom you will see in the blog over these next months.

Karen’s work is amazingly crafted and ever so lovely! She specializes in chasing and repousse which seems to be rarer to find these days so I started our interview by asking about her focus on this technique.

I like the fact that chasing and repousse are ancient metal forming techniques. I am very interested in lifestyles, items, and many of the time-honored values of prior generations. I feel the importance of slowing down, taking time, noticing and connecting with what we are doing on a daily basis. Working with my hand tools in my studio as I tap shape into my metal, I feel a sense of relaxation and peace. My pace is not hurried, nor am I concerned about a mass production run. To me, the process evokes a connection to traditional craftspeople, a respect for process that symbolizes quality, intention, and a reverence for life that supercedes the hurriedness of our modern daily lives.

I really enjoy working directly with the metal. I have carved and cast wax models in the past, and have enjoyed doing that, but I feel a real affinity with the metal itself. I love to see how plastic it can become, and I also enjoy the challenge. I have a strong background in woodcarving, which is a subtractive sculptural process. Forming metal sculpturally through chasing, repousse, and forging is a similar process, in that material is not added to create the sculptural form. Material is shaped, changed, or removed to create the dimensional form desired. Process has to be carefully planned and analyzed in advance, as mistakes are difficult (if not impossible) to repair. To me, this is the ultimate challenge. Envisioning and designing a piece of jewelry comes naturally to me. Taking my two dimensional drawings and executing them into three dimensional finished pieces takes careful planning, consideration, and patience. Sometimes I make prototypes of certain elements to work out the complicated fabrication processes before taking on the finished pieces in gold. Successfully completing a challenging fabrication is what brings me joy…knowing that I have the tools and experience to bring to fruition a design that originated in my head, and knowing that I persevered until it was complete.

Karen’s work is particularly unique in that the backs of her pieces are as finished and beautiful as the fronts. I asked about this…

I know a fine furniture maker who finishes the backs and bottoms of the drawers in his pieces as if they were the front sides in view. I really liked that concept when first I heard it, and have incorporated that practice into my jewelry as well. I want the backs and insides of my pieces to be respected as integral elements of the piece, and not just considered “the utility room”. Some pieces are designed with an element from the front side that carries over to the back. Others symbolically contrast the feel of the front. Sometimes a stone or pearl is set there as well. I don’t typically publish photos of the backsides of my pieces, nor do I show clients a drawing of the backside on commissioned work. It is a surprise element that is then looked forward to with anticipation while the piece is being made. Some clients flip the piece to the back as soon as they receive it to see what is there before spending time looking at the front. I feel that the backs of pieces are personal… it is the part of the piece that is only visible to the wearer, and they alone hold the prerogative to reveal or keep concealed that aspect of their jewelry. The backsides also remain an element of surprise. If a piece were to accidentally flip to the back side, the viewer’s response would be one of pleasure, rather than dismay.

It is unusual for someone to make all ear wires, chains etc. Why have you chosen this route?

My pieces are all very individual. Many are one of a kind, and others are made individually in limited editions of 12. Because of this, they have a look of being made, one by one. That look and feel is important to me. I want my clients and those who view my jewelry to really sense the passion that I have for making jewelry, and the reverence that I infuse in each part of every piece that I make. Commercially made chains and components have a look of consistency that contrasts with the unique individual look that my pieces imbue. I want my work to be an extension of me, of my values, and of my heart. Incorporating ready made components would bring in machine made and mass production elements that I want to limit, both in my work and in my life.

You say you built the "ultimate jewelry studio". What makes it so?

Oh, my studio is my little slice of heaven! Built into the hillside a short walk down a woodland garden path from my house, the studio is bright and inviting. A wall of recycled casement windows and French doors face west onto a wooded slope. My fabrication bench looks out these windows, and gives me views into the natural world that is my inspiration and my muse.

I am a do-it-yourselfer, and designed the studio myself to allow for all of the workstations and tools that I wanted to bring into the space. Someone once told me to allow for at least twice as many electrical outlets as a typical room would have, so that I did! I have 23 outlets, and actually could use more! I had a contractor build the foundation, walls and roof, and I completed the electrical, plumbing, insulation, drywall, floor, and trim myself. It is really “my” space, and when I sit down at my bench in the morning, I feel like I have come home.

I continue to add specialty tools to my studio as time goes on, but for the most part, I feel very fortunate to be able to work in a beautiful space, walking distance from home, and have all the tools that I need right at my fingertips.

How would you describe your style?

I don’t really have a term that describes my work accurately, and I guess that I prefer not to categorize it with a label. My influences are from the great French jewelers of the Belle Epoch, Japonisme art, and the natural world around me. When I design a piece of jewelry, I strive for a design that takes the eye on a visual dance. I want the elements of each piece to move lyrically from one part to the next, to create a story within the imagery, and evoke a sense of movement, spirit, and peace.

So many great jewelers come out of the Revere Academy. What do you think was the most important thing you got from that experience?

Revere Academy has an amazing plethora of highly skilled, knowledgeable, compassionate, and fun teachers! I can say without hesitation that the most important thing that I received from my training at Revere’s was a profound respect for precision and exactitude in fabrication skills. I also learned the patience needed in order to achieve that precision.

What do you see as the greatest challenges and opportunities in 2009?

I believe that our greatest challenge is to see challenge as opportunity. I have a phrase that I like to use that I call “Going in the Back Door”. I taught this to my daughters when they were young, and they use it successfully still. When faced with a difficult issue, I reminded them that the difficulty only faced them, and that, if they were to go around to the back side of the problem, they’d surely be able to get through it. Within every challenge lies an opening for something new. Without that particular challenge, we might never have the opportunity to pursue the new path that presents itself to us in this moment. So when a difficulty arises, I encourage myself and my family to look for the opportunities that are possible only because of this issue…what alternate directions can I look in that I might not have otherwise. I am always pleased, and many times thrilled with the new directions that become apparent in such moments. It takes the frustration, pain, and stress away from difficult times, and transforms them into growthful and productive opportunities.

With the slow down in the economy, I am taking time to reassess my priorities. I am reevaluating how I can use my time more efficiently, more meaningfully, and more generously. I am hopeful that everyone will look at their own lives and businesses and see how they might be willing to change in order to meet the challenges in front of us right now.

The biggest opportunity of 2009, I believe, is the encouragement from President Obama to volunteer. Getting involved in community service is an amazingly rewarding opportunity to feel needed, to spend time doing something important, and to make a difference in the lives of people whose lives are dramatically altered by this present economy. Giving of oneself is a powerful antidote to stresses and worries, and offers opportunity to view momentary concerns from alternate perspectives.

“The greatest distance in the existence of man is not from here to there nor from there to here.

Nay, the greatest distance in the existence of man is from his mind to his heart. Unless he conquers this distance he can never learn to soar like an eagle, and realize the immensity within."

~ Angaangaq (an Eskimo-Kalaallit elder)

What a pleasure to get to know Karen. Her work is masterful and I love her outlook on life (not to mention her fabulous studio)! She echoes the sentiments of almost every designer I meet—using this economic crisis to reassess priorities and work on perfecting the work.

I wish Karen continued tremendous success and happiness.

You can find more of her work through her website: http://www.artjeweler.com/

Thanks for stopping by!

Sally

Patricia Tschetter: Modern Granulation and Baby Buds!

2009-02-02T10:23:00.000-08:00

Patricia Tschetter

I found Tschetter Studio through LinkedIn which is proving to be a great online source for business connections. I was struck by Patricia’s elegant designs, meticulous granulation and delicate bimetal “buds”. I was also interested in her focus on the wholesale side of the jewelry business including her appearance at the upcoming Buyers Market of American Craft in Philadelphia starting February 13th.

Here’s what Patricia told me about her work:

When Jean Stark came to Dallas to teach granulation I jumped at the chance to take her class. That was 6 years ago and granulation is all I want to do. I get lost in this tiny world of granules. It’s like building a tiny city that only I get to see. There are infinite patterns that I can create. I have never been bored with granulation and maybe that’s why I love it. In the 6 years I’ve been making granulated pieces I’ve always been challenged. In 2006 I sent in a rendering to Rio’s Saul Bell Design Awards. I was chosen as a finalist so I had to make my rendering. I ended up winning an award for a beaded necklace made of yellow and white gold granulated cylinder beads with “chevron” bimetal beads in between. The white gold and yellow gold granules fuse at different temperatures and the cylinder beads also had to be first fused together then granulated “in the round”. It was quite a challenge! When asked why I did it I answered, “because I wanted to see if I could.”

I’m always trying to redefine the context for granulation. I have 2 goals when it comes to granulating: I want to make it accessible (meaning more affordable), and put an “edge” to granulation by placing granulation into modern contexts. There are many very talented granulators. So, I need to distinguish my work from all the others. Yes, I’m happy creating “over the top” pieces. However, not everyone can afford them, and I want to give granulation a distinctively contemporary edge to it by putting granulated components into oxidized silver and other metals.

Aside from Patricia’s granulation work, she also creates an unusual, beautiful line called “Baby Buds”:

The inspiration for this collection came from an oak tree in my backyard. The tree, a live oak, sheds all of its leaves at the end of winter. The new sprouts have tiny acorns. The tree sheds many of these tiny “buds”, thus the name, “baby buds”. I started using “bimetal” last year a way to give my clients more choices while offering a moderately priced product. Bimetal is sterling silver with a thick coat of 22kt yellow gold laminated to it. It gives the look of high karat gold without the high price. It’s a wonderful material to use.

You mention that your path to jewelry design was “non-linear”…how so?

I’ve had several “careers” before I settled on goldsmithing 10 years ago. I have been an antique restorer/dealer, a paste-up artist for an ad agency, painter, president of a non-profit, interpreter for a start-up company conducting business in Mexico, and a marriage and family therapist at a United Way agency. I’ve been an artist all of my life, painting, drawing, and sculpting but always on the side. So in 1998 I decided that life was too short to work at unsatisfying jobs.

Since I love granulation, and I love what I do, the time flies. In every other job I’ve had I watched the clock. I don’t watch the clock in my studio. There is nothing more satisfying than making something tangible from sheet, wire or even casting grain. There must be an instinctual need to work with my hands. Although I have had “careers” only using my brain, there was a disconnect that I wasn’t even aware of until I started working with my hands full time. There’s a deep mind-body-spirit synthesis that happens when I’m in my studio. I feel more connected, more grounded, and more “human” using my body/hands, and my brain, and my emotions. At the same time I have never worked so hard in my life! Running a wholesale jewelry business requires everything I have learned up until now.

We are all seeking ways to deal with this economy nightmare. What is your approach to finding buyers?

Education is the key to finding buyers. Once I can explain and show people what granulation is about, they love the “story”. Granulation has a rich history as it was perfected about 5000 years ago. It has gone through periods of obscurity and resurgence since then. Since the process is very labor intensive it holds a special place with people when they realize I put every little granule on by hand and fuse it in place. There is no disconnect between the hand of the maker and the piece itself that is apparent with highly manufactured jewelry that is identical from every shopping mall in America. So, my buyers want a hand-made piece of jewelry, made by a real human.

I believe the Chinese character for crisis also means opportunity. That’s how I see 2009. I can’t do anything about the economy and worrying about it won’t change it. However, since I’m creative I can think about how I can take advantage of this time. One thing that I started considering last year was offering not just the “classic” granulation. I wanted to appeal to a younger audience. I added to my business goal of making granulation affordable. I’ve always offered granulated earrings for below $100 (wholesale), but I wanted to expand on the range of prices for granulated goods. It is a way to get clients to see the versatility of granulation and its value. I believe that education about granulation is the key to its acceptance and commercial viability.

Tell us about the Buyers Market of American Craft…

The Buyer’s Market of American Craft (BMAC) and also known as The Rosen Show, is one of the longest running wholesale craft shows in the country. The reason I love doing this show is consistency. Unlike the majority of other craft shows the BMAC allows artists to jury in once and never have to jury in again (unless their medium changes or their work differs greatly from what was originally used for jury purposes). This allows artist to consistently participate in this show. This consistency is what helps artists run a viable business. As far as expectations for this show, I have modest goals for this year. The economy is frightening people, and I know that some of my current galleries are sitting on unsold merchandise from last year, while others reported good sales through the holidays. I believe that this will be a weeding out period for both galleries and artists. Like any other business, the lean and flexible with great products and service will survive. I will be offering beautiful new work and extras for this show, emphasizing value-oriented pieces, like a two-sided pendant (one side is gold granulation and the other is silver with an iolite stone) on gorgeous natural pastel colored pearls. It is two looks for the price of one.
I love Patricia’s work. I wish her success at the BMAC. Perhaps her new value-oriented designs will exceed her expectations for new sales.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sally

Rachel Franco: Fabulous Fabric Creations

2009-01-29T09:42:00.001-08:00

Rachel Franco

I found Rachel Franco and JaLa Designs through LinkedIn's Jewelry Designer group. Although I usually focus on designers who are creating masterful work with precious metals, enamels and stones, I was struck by Rachel's use of simple fabric to create unusual pieces.

I've always loved fabrics - something about the beautiful colors and patterns and, when embroidered, textures. My love of working with fabric in jewelry stems from my love of contradictions, of surprises. JaLa Designs leverages the excitement of seeing something in a piece of jewelry that you wouldn't expect to see and is reflective of the fact that we all have many different - and sometimes opposing - sides to ourselves that result in our being original and beautiful human beings...just the way we are.

I had a very specific vision for JaLa Designs in terms of the look and feel that I was after - and JaLa really did start from a vision. My tagline, "Be yourself and the rest will follow", is a reflection of my own personal journey in life, of my learning, as I've grown and matured, that so much of life really does just come down to being and accepting who you are versus trying to be perfect or someone you're not.

That message, that mantra really is the heart and soul of JaLa Designs. And that is what I want to share and communicate with others through my jewelry. Every time someone wears a JaLa Designs piece, my sincere and genuine hope is that she remembers that all she has to do to "succeed" is, "Be yourself and the rest will follow."

As I like to say, JaLa Designs is where individuality, self-confidence and a unique sense of style converge to create a fashionable reminder to be yourself.

Before JaLa was manifested through any physical object, it was, in my head, a combination of beautiful and elegant designer fabrics - think Italian or Country French - mixed with a chain with a more muted finish, an antique looking one. Almost vintage looking in a sense, although I wouldn't necessarily categorize my work as vintage, interestingly enough. I just had this antique look in my head and had to carry it out.

When did you decide to pursue jewelry design?

I started to pursue jewelry design after I was downsized from my marketing job at a technology company in summer 2008. I disliked my job, so being downsized was one of the best things that ever happened to me. It really gave me the freedom and the space to figure out my next step.

I have to say, though, that if you had told me three years ago that I was going to be designing jewelry, I would have thought you were crazy! As I alluded to before, JaLa Designs really did start from a vision.

While over a family friend's house getting some career coaching (to help me figure out my next step), I noticed that she had this beautiful bowl that was covered in fabric. I thought to myself, "Wouldn't something covered in fabric look pretty as part of a necklace?"

I started experimenting and now have JaLa Designs, LLC! And, so far, the response has been great! People are really responding to it well - especially and perhaps not surprisingly to the fabric.

Where does the name of your company, JaLa, come from?

The name, JaLa, has a very special and personal meaning to me. Shortly before the launch of JaLa (which was then unnamed), a very close family friend of mine - and, honestly, one of my all-time favorite people in the world - passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 58. She was so full of life and energy and, to put it simply, just so much fun - her death came as a shock to many and as a great loss. Everyone loved her.

The name, JaLa, is inspired by her. It is my small way of honoring her memory. I ofen picture her in my mind, imagining her looking at my jewelry and responding with her signature excitement and natural curiosity. I miss her very much but think of her every time I see, read or say JaLa.

What do you see as the greatest challenges and opportunities in 2009?

Well, I think, of course, the most obvious challenge in 2009 is the state of the economy. People, even the high-end luxury spender, are cutting back on their spending. I think this also, however, presents a great opportunity for those of us with truly unique and different products. If people are going to part with their money, I think they want to part with it on something unique and different. I think this is one of the factors that has contributed to JaLa having a good start!

It was a pleasure meeting Rachel. 2009 is bound to be an interesting year for her as she works to turn the recession into an opportunity to bring people interesting adornments at affordable prices.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sally

Secretary of the Arts Petition: Act Now!

2009-01-17T13:20:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know he's got a lot on his plate, just cleaning up the enormous mess left behind. But it appears that Obama understands how valuable the arts are to the betterment of our society and even to help us get through this crisis. Marianne Hunter and her husband, William sent around an email recently promoting a petition for a Secretary of the Arts. Here's what they said:

ART SAVES LIVES. We believe that.
Those of us who are in the arts; what would have become of us without our artwork?
Those who enjoy the arts; what would life be with out it’s richness?
Those who are students: what life lessons would you have missed without the discovery, patience, creativity, accomplishment and fulfillment of the arts?
Those who teach: what can you unlock in young minds with the arts as your tool? What otherwise unreachable children make contact through the arts?
Those concerned with the human condition: a picture is worth a thousand words to spread understanding and awareness.
Art is a means of support for many in third world countries and poor communities at home.
Those who value history: what secrets of the past would we have lost without the records left behind in works of art and artisanship? Art is our window into the past.

The arts are a vibrant part of our world and economy. One that stimulates the mind and nourishes the soul. One that is flexible. One that endures. One that helps. One that invents and expresses change.

Take a minute and click on the petition link below and sign it to encourage President Obama (so nice to be able to say that!) to create a Secretary of the Arts.

Petition (click here)

Thanks for stopping by!
Sally

More thoughts on 2009...

2009-01-13T07:58:00.000-08:00

I got a tremendous response to my questions about the challenges and opportunities for 2009. Here’s more…

Marion Hunziker-Larsen

2008 was a tremendously entertaining year. I spent lots of time working with the news on in the background. Between the elections and the economical meltdown there was no shortage of news. We all had to take a 101 class on the economy. I have since weaned myself a bit as the daily gloom and doom was getting to me especially when delivered by gleeful announcers. I saw the picture of Chaney in the morning paper as the Senate was confirming Obama's election. Was he smirking as the administration he represents handed Obama a plate of manure? They may have believed that the economy would not fall in disarray until they were out of office... or used it as an excuse for final gifts to their buddies in the form of taxpayers $. So anyway, out with the old economy, and in with the new economy, hopefully a better economical model more sustainable and less toxic to the planet with the return of civil servants to government.

Artists are often the canaries in the cage. They were aware of the lack of oxygen in the system long ago. The economy from many artists' perspectives has looked to be in trouble for quite a while, even when according to the pundits the economy was doing fine. We were all aware that the economy was doing great for a limited few while too many people had a hard time financially in the meantime. But not all art businesses did badly, some actually did well even last year. As customers 'downgraded' from higher end goods in department stores, many discovered artisans' jewelry as a better value at better prices! I call it true value from the heart over commercial value with hidden cost to the total cost of ownership. You can read my entry on TOC on my blog.

For 2009 I plan to continue as a designer-artisan to create 'irresistible pieces', the best pieces I can design regardless of their prices range. Some may have just five to ten knots, a zen statement, distilled to its essence like a haiku, yet still containing my signature. Others may be labor of love with many hours of work. I will also continue to work with lots of colors, as it is so much fun, and maybe my enthusiasm while working in my studio will propagate to my customers. Pieces will find their owners eventually, so I will continue to do shows, create exposure for the work I create, post new pieces to my budding online gallery and look into other outlets. In addition to being an artist I also became a Reiki master, along the way, and I believe that as artists we are conduits for energy and the world needs us more than ever.

www.jewelsinfiber.com

Brittany Golden

The greatest opportunity in the jewelry industry today is the abundance of materials, jewelry is not as traditional as it used to be which makes the possibilities endless! It gives us more freedom to give our pieces a soul with the new clays and polymers, photo transfering, etching and acid finishes, and using found or recycled objects can give them more of a story. Looking at an object or new metal and asking how we can give it life creates more connection with the spirit of why we make jewelry and can be as playful or serious as we make it. Even the more traditional materials are being taken in new directions giving them a life of their own, with so many techniques out there it's a challenge deciding where to begin. The only limits are the limits of our imagination! The internet is our most powerful resource. Education, networking and selling is at our fingertips and we can connect to people from all over the world when we plug into the online shops and networks. The only challenge I have found is finding enough hours in the day to create all the ideas I have!

http://brittanygolden.com

Linda Lewis

As far as the challenges for 2009 in this economy downturn, it is more challenging than ever to market something that is not considered a necessity. That is, we must learn to be more creative by using less expensive materials. Also, this is a opportunity to go into my studio and come up with new designs, if the old ones are not selling. Finding new venues to sell such as small boutique type shows in people’s homes seems to work for me. Also, I am using the internet as an advertising tool, since it is less expensive and sometimes free. I have been through many downturns before over the years and for some reason, people still buy jewelry to make them feel better about themselves.

www.lindalewisjewelry.com

From the past two posts, a theme has emerged. Use the time to create new designs and learn new that new jewelry skill you always wanted to try. Stick with work that you are proud to make and…..keep getting up in the morning!

Thanks for stopping by.
Sally

2009! Here we go...

2009-01-08T08:05:00.000-08:00

We kick off 2009 amid a deepening recession and global uncertainty, but with the optimism of a new administration that just might help us all get back on track.

For my first post of the New Year, I took the opportunity to ask many of the jewelry designers who were profiled this past year to comment on what they see as both the greatest opportunities and the most difficult challenges for 2009. The responses were as thoughtful and insightful as one might expect from this group of enormously talented and motivated people!

Jeanne Johngren

I think that the greatest opportunities arise from the most difficult challenges. Plato said it well, "necessity is the mother of invention." And much later, Thorstein Veblen reversed it, "invention is the mother of necessity." In either case, necessity and invention are forever linked in a tumultuous pas de deux. They just switch off on who leads.

So, in the face of adversity, what will we invent?

1- Irresistible work, irresistible messaging. The "what is irresistible" part is the thing we'll all need to work out for ourselves.

2- We'll have to make it easier for stores to take a chance on us. My guess is minimum order requirements will be decreased at the same time that designer's requirements around store advertising will increase.

3- It should be easier to have our messages heard this year as many companies will not spend on advertising. There will be less noise. It's time to craft clear messages and be heard.

4- We can refine our lines, really using the knowledge around what was popular in spite of the market heading south. If certain items sold in that market, they will sell as the market continues to slide for the first 6 months of this year. We can expand color and size variations on those items. I am reading that we should expect a strong Christmas '09. So...

5- My advice...Slog on through. I think that getting through to the end of this year is the key. Things will take an upturn. We just have to be super smart -- conservative and targeted -- about how we spend this year in order to be around for the turn-around.

http://www.jeannejohngren.com/

http://jeannejohngren.blogspot.com/

Kim Fox

The greatest opportunities in 2009 are those of focusing and evaluating our best talents, best use of time and placement of our work. There isn’t much space for laxness. This can involve being brutally honest about ourselves, our work, our suppliers and our customers. Those who don’t do this will probably leave our career of choice.

The opportunity is also a challenge. It involves being honest, removing excess, changing course and being brave and confident in the face of an economy that is a challenge. Those that do this are more likely to be still standing after the economic downturn is over.

http://www.phxfox.com/

Keith Lewis

We all have challenges and opportunities facing us each day that shape us , that let us show ourselves as helpful, creative and positive individuals. Still, I find it easy for financial worries or competitive insecurities to jump to the front of the line and overshadow what's really happening in my life. These things are real, but they are not the foundation of anything, and letting them control what you do does a disservice to who we are.

We would not be working for ourselves if we were not self-motivated enough to take control of how we handle the challenges staring at us this year. Making conservatively designed jewelry in hard times is not the answer. Making work that you are happy to stand behind but doesn't cripple your cash flow does make sense. Sales down? Doesn't that mean you have time now to make that special piece, learn that exotic technique, maybe experiment a bit? Perhaps that will put you in the show that will be more helpful to you.

Think of your professional life in terms of its trajectory. Is it a line going steadily but reasonably upwards, creating a buffer for the harder times, exploring new things, showing that you are planning prudently? Or, is the line a low arc showing the same old efforts, with you in danger of a bumpy ride just because you aren't planning anything different?

Well, we all need to keep in mind where we are pointed, and just being aware of this helps me to react to a situation in a way that keeps me going in a good direction. As cloying as it may sound, those challenges are opportunities, and 2009 looks like it's going to have a lot of, well, let's say "opportunities."

http://www.keithlewisstudio.com/

Nancy Troske

Aside from the obvious problems with the economy I think that the greatest opportunities will come from technology; the use of the internet and the availability of learning opportunities via Smartflix, YouTube and other online venues, including social networking, forums, online magazines.

I think the challenge to designers is going to be focus. How does a creative person avoid going in a million different directions when there are so many new materials and techniques out there (like bronze metal clay) not to mention the older techniques such as chasing and repousse, granulation, etc.? Personally, I find it very hard to resist dabbling in everything and not turn into a whirling dervish! I have to reign myself in constantly!

http://www.silverlight-jewelry.com/

Lilian Chen

I think 2009 will be a great year for jewelry making designers, because people can't live without jewelry, especially women. The difficult challenge we are facing is that competition will be more difficult, not only in designing the design piece, but the cost of the materials. So be wise and use different materials, be more unique, more artistic, and more exquisite. People always like unique things.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5808687

Harriete Estel Berman

The greatest opportunity in 2009 definitely involves the Internet and the visibility that it offers for good work, GREAT PHOTOS and personal initiative. Egalitarian forums like Etsy offer popular marketplaces. Social networking websites like Flickr and Crafthaus offer opportunities for showing your work at little or no expense. SlideShare.com can upload a PowerPoint about your work at no cost. Blogs and website templates can generate more formal portfolio presentations that are accessible for a wide audience for a very modest investment of time and money.

The most difficult challenge for 2009 is the depressed economy. There is no way around the fact that selling work in this current economic situation is not going to be easy. My recommendation is to cut back on production and related expenses and work on research and development of your work. Take time to make the best and most interesting work possible, save up your money, and invest in professional photography. Overall I would encourage everyone in the art and craft community to create exposure opportunities for yourself and others by organizing exhibitions with a focus on selecting the most interesting work – and not on whether it is saleable. As Robert Louis Stevenson said, "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant."

http://www.harriete-estel-berman.info/

Marianne Hunter

Maybe one word will do for a jumping off point for my perspective: Fear. Fear is both an opportunity and a challenge to test your metal (a pun!) How sure are you of your design concepts? How willing are you to make some changes? How brave are you about not compromising your integrity? Are you brave enough to take a leap of faith on a design concept that excites you?

Can you face the public and show, not fear, but maintain and communicate your certainty that things will be okay again? That your work is worth having?

I wish us all courage and integrity and success. Work for peace and justice and our world will right itself again. In two weeks we will have a new start.

http://www.hunter-studios.com/

Reading these thoughtful responses kind of choked me up. And, I felt inspired to keep “slogging” as Jeanne Johngren so aptly put it!

By the way, Harriete Estel Berman also wanted to mention an upcoming Professional Development Seminar on maximizing the online revolution. It is through SNAG, but is open to everyone. From the comments above, everyone seems to feel that online is where we all must be—and be good!

Here’s more information on it:

http://www.snagmetalsmith.org/Events/Professional_Development_Seminar/

Thanks for stopping by!

Sally

Steve Shelby: Nature Reflected In Brass

2008-12-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

Steve Shelby

I found Steve Shelby on Ganoksin Gallery and asked him to participate even though he's not a jewelry designer but rather a metalsmith working on a larger scale to create lovely, gentle and flowing objects from brass. Here's what Steve had to say:

Your work has a graceful quality; tell us about what you try to achieve with your pieces?

I like curvy things, especially growing plants, like vines that you can practically see growing. I have grown gardens and observed and studied these things since I was a small child. My sense of aesthetics is based on these forms found in nature; they are ingrained in my subconscious mind. What I am trying to achieve is to translate my sense of beauty into forms in metal.

How would you describe your style?

I think my style most closely resembles Art Nouveau, which, from the time I was first aware of it, I have considered to be the most aesthetically pleasing style. I'm not trying to imitate Art Nouveau, but since my inspiration is the same as that of the artists of that style, the results are similar. My style in some ways could also be called impressionist, since rather than putting a highly refined, perfectly smooth surface on my pieces, I leave them showing the hammer marks that created them. I also strive for simplicity and elegance. I admire the way that Constantin Brancusi was able to take a subject and simplify it to an extreme. I don't go nearly that far, but I try to avoid getting involved with a lot of detail, the only adornment being the texture created by the hammer.

Why do you focus on brass? What do you find special about this metal?

The reasons are many. It started with my teacher in college who said that brass was more appealing than copper. Then when I worked for Fox Products Corp., making parts for contrabassoons, I worked with brass constantly, getting to know the material intimately. That brass was finished off perfectly smooth and silver plated. I like the looks of brass that is aged and takes on a mellow brownish-ochre tone. Then there's the durability factor. I never thought I was making a statement with my art, but I just realized I am in a way: I really hate the way everything we buy today is meant to be used briefly and then thrown away. It bothers me that possibly in future ages, our era's greatest monuments will be our landfills. Anyway, I want to counter that by making things that last, and brass is strong and durable enough to last a long, long time. The fact that I use brass also makes me somewhat unique, and I have never been one to follow the crowd. I started doing what I do now only about six years ago, and prior to that I was largely uninspired. At the risk of sounding crazy, I was hit with a vision one morning upon getting out of bed. It was something made of brass, like a vase. I took it as a message that it was time to get started on a new course. I ordered a sheet of brass and made the vase in the picture. I have had more inspiration than time ever since.

How do you think the work primarily differs from work done by jewelry metalsmiths?

Mostly in scale. I made jewelry when I was a student, and got so I wanted to make bigger things. I did make some rather large pieces of jewelry, and I've seen some really outlandishly large art jewelry, but I really doubt if anyone wears it. I decided that I would rather make larger pieces and forget about jewelry. Since what I make is larger than jewelry, generally the tools are also larger, and I need a slightly larger area in which to work. I have narrowed myself to pretty much just hammer-forming. I don't do any casting or stone-setting, although I'm taking a departure on a piece I'm working on now, which has a large cabochon as its focal point.

How did you come to make a career out of metalsmith work?

It took a long time to get to that point. After many years of doing other things, I came to the realization that it's what I enjoy the most, and what I feel I was meant to do. I'm not a particularly religious man, but I feel that somehow I've been guided into this by an outside force, and I'm just going along with it.

What advice do you have for fellow metalsmiths on surviving this economy?

Hope...pray...I wish I knew. I try not to dwell on it too much, it's too depressing. My hope is that the people who buy art will not be the people who lose their jobs, and so we'll continue to sell our art. It's hard to talk about it without sounding selfish. I feel for anyone facing hardship because of the economy, and I hope and pray I don't have to become one myself.

I love Steve's work and love his quote about having more inspiration than time. What a great way to wake up each morning! You can see more of Steve's work at his own website: shelbyvision.com.

Happy Holidays to all!
Sally

My Blog is Over The Top!

2008-12-21T13:39:00.000-08:00

I just learned that this blog earned the "Over The Top" award by Nancy Troske of Silverlight Contemporary Jewelry. Thank you and thanks to all the incredible jewelry artists who participated this past year!
Sally

Kim Fox: Texture and Tenacity!

2008-12-17T08:53:00.000-08:00

Kim Fox

As we look around at the state of the economy, any one who is not at least a bit scared about their own well-being is probably...lying. So it is with admiration that I present this profile on Kim Fox, creator of beautiful and unique jewelry with a story that inspires:

In 1999 I was at a watershed in my life. In one year I had lost my marriage, suffered financial reverses in my business and then lost it, filed corporate and personal bankruptcy, the stress had taken itself out on my body and my health suffered severely. In the following years I took a job to repay part of the bankruptcy debt and started examining what I had done and what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. During this time I started writing again and took up making simple jewelry.

In 2003 I had completed the repayment of the bankruptcy and came to the conclusion that the second half of my life was to be lived out of my heart – not my mind. Though I had taken art and had written through most of my schooling – my mind told me that I could not make a living at it – so when I was young I used my analytical skills to make a living in sales and teaching technology.

My mother died in 2003 and I decided to take the money that would have been my retirement and use it to invest in me. I sold my home in Phoenix, and in the beginning of 2004 moved to Carlsbad, Ca to attend GIA (Gemological Institute of America) where I completed two six month courses – one in design and the other in Gemology. From there I went to San Francisco to study with Alan Revere. In the middle of 2005 I took a job in San Luis Obispo in a jewelry store – the job lasted a month. I started my studio, did my first shows on the beaches of central California.

In 2007 I moved back to Arizona and live simply in a double wide mobile home, I travel to shows all over the United States and spend time at home designing new pieces, managing the manufacturing of my collection. I get scared but have learned my gut instinct is my best friend. I have no regrets about spending the first part of my life in other areas. I have used all of it in the second half of my life.

If times get really bad I know that I can use my skills old and new to feed, house and clothe me.

What especially caught my eye with Kim's jewelry is her interesting use of texture.

When I work to get textures I use old fashioned tools like hammers, drills, fire and rolling mills, but sometimes I use technology where I import images or textures in gray scale into sections of my CAD design. My style I would say is intercultural. I use what I have seen in my travels, studied in art and what comes out of my imagination. Depending on the context of the viewer I have been told that my work is similar to the early Taxco Work, Craftsman Style or Art Deco.

The tool that has worked well for me is my computer. I used it to design jewelry using a very sophisticated CAD program. Ideas for my future work come from photos of architecture, nature, and art that I store on my computer. Sketches made by me are duplicated and stored there on my computer. While I use technologically sophisticated tools, I do not want people to look at my work and see that I used a computer to create it. Simple shapes are beautiful, when you add relevant texture to the simple shape it makes is visually interesting, especially if the texture is random or natural looking. In some of my pieces I have added gray scale textures of water, fire, mountains, flowers and shapes I have seen in architecture and used as cultural symbols. The textures are picked for their meaning as well as visual interest. On my Phoenix pendant the background is the base of a flame, the background of my Tree of Life is running water.

My jewelry design has evolved into three distinct areas.

The first is the area of Jewelry Components or Findings. This started with my desire to have my jewelry to be different. Initially some of the components were hand carved or made using traditional methods such as assembly. Those methods are very time consuming and the results were sometimes great and sometimes not.

The second area is custom design for other designers and customers. This started with friends who wanted special pieces for themselves and moved to other designers who had ideas and didn’t know how to make them.

The third area is the area of finished work of my own design. Some of these pieces are hand made, some cast, fused, strung, whatever I put my hand to. This is the area where I play. Sometimes it turns out well sometimes it gets put into the recycle pile.

Despite Kim's extensive training, she continues to take classes regularly. I asked her about that.

Most artists pretty much work alone. I know that I do. I have contact with my partners over the phone most of the time. Taking classes allows me time to experiment, see a master’s perspective on creating things and offers me an opportunity to socialize and share with other artists.

It was a pleasure spending time with Kim! She has my deep respect for the journey she has traveled.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sally

Marianne Hunter: Exquisite Enamels

2008-12-10T16:05:00.000-08:00

Marianne Hunter

I first saw Marianne Hunter's work at the recent Contemporary Crafts Market in Santa Monica, CA. Marianne's specialty is highly intricate enamel work incorporating precious metals and stones to create glorious, magnificent works that are so extraordinary that pieces are displayed in museums including the Mint Museum, the National Museum of American Art, Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Oakland Museum of California and the Gemological Institute of America Museum.

And through my friend, goldsmith and artist, Beth Rosengard, I had the opportunity to enjoy Marianne's company for dinner. It was there that I learned she started making jewelry as a teenager and first sold her jewelry for a song!

I started selling my work at 17, and the pieces were actually 50 cents. I did my first show that summer at Universal Studios in Los Angeles. Shows were quite different then as the craft movement wasn't even in its infancy at that point. Booth fees were $5-$35. I set up on a card table and my "inventory" was carried in a cigar box. It was really exhilarating to be having so much fun with the enamel work and earning my own money.

It appears that you've been working at your craft in such a focused way for more than 30 years....at what point did you come to know that you were creating extraordinary work?

Thanks for the compliment. it's actually more than 40 years now. I always liked the pieces I made. I think the first pendant I made in my interpretation of grisaille enamel was the turning point. towards more serious art work, although it took several years for me to have the confidence to leave the safety of inexpensive, repetitive pieces behind...that and then learning to set the pieces in precious metals has made an enormous difference.

What are your thoughts about having your work displayed in prominent museums?

It's just wonderful! I'm very glad that both my parents were able to enjoy that recognition with me. It is gratifying to know that some of the pieces I've sent out into the world have ended up with that formal recognition.

Many of Marianne's pieces are Kabuki Kachin and Kachina figures. I asked about this focus...

They are metaphor and alter-ego for me. In my imagination they are powerful protectors of and sources of Nature, Elements, Beauty, Harmony, Joy and such things. They come from my imagined perspectives of other cultures, other times. They represent what I wish the world could be like for every one, every where all the time. Beautiful, interesting, harmonious and safe.

From your website explanation of your work, each piece is meticulously planned out...is this a factor of the type of enamel work you do or part of your nature?

This makes me laugh! If you would see the chaos I work in you would know that very very little in my life is meticulous! But I have learned over time that to enter into one of these pieces, with the smoothest journey forward, takes a map. It's something like creating a puzzle; the shapes of the enamel panels have to fit with the stones and metal work. the colors have to integrate. the foils cut and laid on at the right point. A detailed drawing and the time spent deciding on stones, orientation etc, spares me hours and hours of locked up delay during process. I still spend a lot of time unable to move forward until I've made another decision as the piece comes together, but the planning ahead helps make the pieces possible.

Do you ever just set out to create something without knowing how it will turn out?

Almost never anymore. I'm sometimes surprised by new ideas along the way. But I'm interested in work that is really challenging and really well integrated, so the drawing is a very important creative part of the process.

I love your comparison of your work to instruments working in concert....and in fact, your pieces have a lyrical quality...how does music play a role in what you create?

I don't know. I just felt really comfortable with that analogy as I way to express the emotion, the flow, the complexity, the twists and turns and, hopefully, the unity of the finished work.

What do you enjoy about the solitary nature of your work?

I've always been this way. I was never creative in a classroom or group environment. I like to work alone with my own thoughts free to wander. Even gardening I prefer to be unobserved. I think it frees the imagination...like little kids...play freezes when the grownups come in!

After so many years of doing this, what are the best moments?

Feeling really excited by a drawing I've just completed; finally setting all the enamels and stones into the finished metalwork; holding the piece with all the polishing, engraving and bead work done, done, done. Having a person love that piece so much, they are willing to exchange their own energy value to choose it as their own. Then it's really complete. I also really enjoy when they ( the owners and their pieces) come back to year after year. Another best moment...when the show is over, when I've regrouped and recouped my energy; I've cleaned up the benches, going into the studio to start new drawings. That's a great day.

What an honor to get to know more about Marianne and her amazing work!

Thanks for stopping by!
Sally

Brittany Golden: Sundance Sensations!

2008-12-03T14:33:00.000-08:00

Brittany Golden in Utah

I found Brittany Golden through the Ganoksin Gallery and was impressed with her rugged, natural style. It wasn't surprising then to discover that she lives surrounded by the mountains of Utah and is the resident artist and silversmith instructor at Sundance Resort.

Here's a few moments with Brittany:

Sundance has a very relaxed energy, kind of a well worn feel to it that helps keep me grounded. I am able to have a great balance of work and play there, in the summer and fall after spending the morning in the studio, I love to trail run up to the waterfall and look out over the valley. In the winter I can go ski for a few hours and show up to teach in my ski pants and my students will have just come off the slopes themselves, then we make jewelry over hot chocolate with rosy grins. I love my life and it helps to keep the creative energy flowing!

You mention that you grew up learning to appreciate beauty...what was your path to silversmithing and jewelry design?

I have always been an artist since I could hold a crayon! I have always been in an art class and have done almost every medium out there. I have also enjoyed teaching many things. After making jewelry for a few years I knew I had found my life calling when I walked into the Art Shack Studios at Sundance and told them that I wanted to teach their jewelry classes and they said that their instructor had just quit!

What have you found to be the most challenging part of trying to make a living at jewelry design? Most enjoyable?

At first it was selling things at all because I would get so attached to my pieces! Once I got over that it's been a lot of fun to see people wearing my jewelry. I recently observed someone complimenting someone else on a ring of mine that they were wearing and the person replied that it was their favorite ring, neither of them knew the artist was watching the interaction, those moments are rewarding.

What appeals to you about teaching?

I like seeing the joy people get from having a completed piece that becomes priceless to them because they made it! The moment I see the light bulb go on for someone, when the inspiration kicks in and they get into the flow, I know they are hooked and will be back to see me again! Everyone sees things so differently and having people from all over the world and all walks of life challenges my perceptions of things and inspires me to look at things differently. It makes every class different and I love it!

How has the price of metal and the economy affected what you are doing?

Positively! I have started exploring other metals and non-traditional materials, the possibilities are endless!

How would you describe your style?

Organic. That word seems to encompass all the pieces I've made up till now. They all have that handmade, not too perfect look that gives them a very comfortable feel. I like mixing metals and textures for more visual interest while keeping things simple.

What have you found to be the best way to find clients?

Talking to people, wearing my jewelry and being passionate about what I do. People like sharing their jewelry stories and listening had gotten me some faithful clients. Having a relationship with someone through jewelry is special for me, I think it creates a deeper connection for the me and the wearer.

What advice do you have for fledgling jewelry designers?

It's an old saying but still true, do what you love and the money will follow! Never lose faith, just because things don't happen on your time frame doesn't mean that they will never happen, the universe probably has something better in mind! Before taking my jewelry class I had applied at Sundance (my favorite place to be) to work in the store and didn't get hired! Shortly after that I signed up for a jewelry college course and took it 5 times. Almost 3 years later I was hired as the Resident Silversmith and Instructor, a job I'd much rather be doing but may not have if I had gotten the store job earlier!

More of Brittany's work can be found on her website and at the Sundance Gallery as well as the Thanksgiving Point Art Institute Gallery.

I love Brittany's positive attitude about working with rather than fighting against the economy challenges!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sally

Sue Ann Dorman: Jewelry As Paradox!

2008-11-23T14:33:00.000-08:00

Sue Ann Dorman IN her computer!

Concrete and Car Glass

Concrete and Car Glass

Raw Diamond Ring

Ametrine and Gold Pendant

Lizard God-ABS

Opal and Diamond Necklace

I first met Sue when I signed up for jewelry classes at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. With 30 years experience as a jeweler, Sue devotes much of her time teaching at both LMU and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in downtown LA. She's a wonderful teacher with a great laugh and twinkling sense of humor. And, her original jewelry designs are dazzling and quite unique. I especially love her use of concrete with car glass! Here's what she has to say about creating that concept:

In 1980 I moved into, rather built, a loft in a warehouse in downtown Los Angeles. It was the beginning of the downtown movement. There were no such things as secure parking or roof gardens. It was wild country. The first night I stayed downtown, my car was broken into and the stereo stolen. I had been doing work with diamonds and gems in concrete. I was intrigued by the beauty of the broken car window. Putting the broken car window in concrete was a natural progression. I even sold the work at a trunk show at Saks Fith Avenue in Beverly Hills. The community was small at that time so whenever anyone's car was broken into, which was often, they would call me and I would go clean it up and collect the good bits of broken glass. In fact I am still using glass from that time.

How would you describe your style?

There is alot of paradox in my style. I like to push the envelope conceptually but not in an obvious way. I put diamonds in concrete, I make primitive objects with areospace technology and I seek out unusual cut stones. My designs are very classical or basic.

What is the concept behind your concrete line?

Paradox! Putting the most precious in the most common material. My first piece was diamonds in concrete. It was in my Master's show in 1975. Then, being a poor graduate student, they were fake diamonds. Now they are real and I use rare, natural pink diamonds, and top grade, flawless.

You have written several articles on CAD/CAM. What appeals most to you about designing using computer assistance?

It is a new tool and with new toos come new skills. It is not only the CAD but the CAM is as important...a new way to make a 3D object.

What is your ABS work about?

Again paradox...I use areospace techniques to make primitive forms. I am now working on 'gauge earrings'.

How did you get started creating jewelry and what has been your career path?

I was living in the Bay Area, Berkley/'69, and was dating a man who wanted a silver ring with a yin/yang symbol on it. He could not find one he liked. Someone at work brought in a Merritt Community College catalog and I saw a jewelry course listed. I took the class, made the ring and was hooked. My career path has always been about what I can make rather than what I can sell.

You now devote much of your time to teaching--what about that appeals to you?

Because I am interested more in what I make than what I can sell, teaching give me two things. 1) it gives me a somewhat stable base to make what I want and 2) it gives me a place and time when I have to clean up, be somewhere and see people. I like teaching people and get a great reward in seeing what wonderful things they do with the skills I show them.

How have you found it most successful to sell your work?

This may sound strange but to wear it!!

What advise do you have for fledgling jewelry designers?

Do the designs you feel passionate about not the ones you think will sell the best.

I felt privileged to be able to take classes from Sue. I learned something during every class and appreciated the atmosphere of creative learning. And her work is just incredible! To view more go to her webiste: http://www.suedorman.com/

Thanks for stopping by!

Sally

Beth Rosengard: Stunning Color, Texture & Pattern

2008-11-16T08:30:00.000-08:00

Beth Rosengard

Mixed Media Wall Art

I have the great privilege of friendship with Beth Rosengard.

I met Beth a few months ago when she had a home sale in Los Angeles where she was offering local jewelry designers some of her rather immense collection of unusual, interesting stones. At that time, I first saw some of her amazing jewelry and it quite simply took my breath away. Not long after that first meeting, Beth generously allowed me to watch her create a commissioned pendant piece, offering me valuable tips throughout the process that improved my own work immensely.

Beth's use of extraordinary stones, with her distinct style and superb craftsmanship results in some of the most stunning jewelry I've ever seen, making her among my most influential jewelry artists as I move forward in my new career.

As you look at her work, the first thing you can't help but notice is...the color! And, those stones!

I have lots of stones – too many stones! – and when I’m designing I pull out my stone boxes (which are organized loosely by color) and start playing. I usually start with whatever stone catches my eye on that day and then start looking for others to complement it. Or I might start with a set of stones (a group of tourmalines, for instance) and play with them until an interesting, balanced pattern emerges. Once I’ve got a grouping I like, I then start considering how to connect them, using gold in complementary and interesting ways ... unless I’m working with broom-cast gold. In that case I work simultaneously with the gold pieces and the stones, but always searching for balance and a pleasing combination of color, texture and shape. Most of it is intuitive; I have never taken a course in pure design.

You work with diamonds and what you refer to as "the big three" but you also specialize in unusual stones. How did you first develop an interest and knowledge of these stones?

What attracts me are color, texture and pattern. And I must confess that I’m also drawn to the unusual and rare – in part for their own sake. In my very first metalsmithing class, the instructor had us make a ring composed of two layers of silver. The bottom layer was solid and the top had a pierced design. When the two were soldered together, the idea was to see a pattern of relief. Everyone else in the class stuck to the plan, some additionally patinating the underlying layer of silver so the pattern in the top layer stood out more. What did I do? I hammered some turquoise and some lapis into a powder, mixed them with epoxy and inlaid the blue and green mixtures into the pierced areas in the top layer of silver. I just had to have color, even in that first project! I still have that ring.

My knowledge of the unusual stones I often work with comes from asking many, many questions of the stone dealers I have bought from over the years. That’s the best way to learn (unless you wish to become a gemologist and then you need formal education).

Your work has a very distinct style. How would you describe it?

People do say that my work has a distinct style and I’m always very glad to hear that! But I’ve never quite understood what it is myself; at least not so that I could explain it. All the words I’d be likely to use – color, texture, pattern, balance, geometry, and more – could be used equally to describe the work of numerous other artists as well. So I guess I’ll have to leave it to the viewers/wearers to decide for themselves!

Your work uses only cabochons rather than faceted stones...what do you prefer about cabochon bezel settings?

To be perfectly honest, bezels are easier! Especially when you’re using irregularly-shaped stones. I did take a few classes in prong setting and flush setting, but I never bothered to become proficient at either because I had pretty much perfected bezel setting and seldom felt the need to stretch – one of my faults. And I do very much prefer cabochons, which look better, I think, in bezels. For most of the opaque lapidary materials I use, cabochons are the only way to go. Where the translucent and transparent gemstones are concerned, I’ve just always preferred the depth of color of cabochons over the glitter of faceted stones.

You mention that gold is your favorite metal. What do you love about it?

People who knew me when I began metalsmithing (about 15 years ago) would be amused by that statement. I started out, like most beginners, with sterling silver and I loved it. When I first began using gold, I hated it because it kept melting on me when I didn’t want it to! The fact is that silver is a very good conductor of heat and gold a very bad one. That means that you have to heat the entire piece of silver you’re working on in order to get one little area hot enough for solder to flow. With gold, on the other hand, you can “spot solder”: heat just the small area (spot) you care about and the heat will stay put, instead of radiating out to the edges of the piece. Once you get used to it, it’s wonderful. Until then, it’s a bitch!

Beth uses a little-known technique called "broom casting" for many of her most original designs. The technique was photographed at the Venice Adult School jewelry class in California and was featured along with Beth's work in the June, 2007 issue of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine.

Briefly, broom-casting involves pouring molten hot metal over the soaking wet, upturned bristles of a straw broom. This results in unique pieces of organic-looking metal that are reminiscent of stalactites. It’s the latter comparison that attracts me. I don’t particularly like “blobby-looking” pieces of metal, but broom-cast metal – while random and organic – is also linear and geometric.

In reading Beth's bio on her website, it's clear that she's had multiple and various successful careers...and now she's heading in a new direction creating mixed media wall art.

I’ve gotten to a point where I’m a bit burned out on being a smith. I could be happy designing forever, but I no longer enjoy getting my hands dirty, so to speak. The transition to mixed media wall art was sort of accidental. I wanted something for an empty wall in my house and I didn’t want to spend a fortune purchasing it. I saw a gallery brochure with some painted work I thought was great and said to myself, “I could do something like that with paper.” And I did! It was so much fun that I kept going and now there’s no stopping me. I’m amassing a decorative paper collection to rival my absurdly large stone collection.

Her advice to those of us starting out on a new path....?

Love what you’re doing!

Good advice for all of us, no matter what path we choose. I wish Beth the very best in her latest pursuit of happiness.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sally