Behind the Design


Get the stories behind the design of exquisite jewelry pieces and talented artists. Here you’ll find many styles and types of work represented.

HomeJewelry DesignBehind the Design
How to Make Your Own Locket

How to Make Your Own Locket

Before photography, lockets were decorated with miniature, handpainted portraits -- a luxury few could afford. The advent of affordable photographic...
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The Invisible Setting Process

The Invisible Setting Process

This column is from the At the Bench column that appears every month in AJM. For this project, it is...
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A Replica of the Sutton Hoo Sword

A Replica of the Sutton Hoo Sword

Considered to be one of the richest and most important archaeological finds in Great Britain, the Ship Burial known as...
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How to Make a Three-Part Silver Ring

How to Make a Three-Part Silver Ring

Using a relatively inexpensive metal and casting it in an ingot mold, you can create a sophisticated design at the...
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The Art of the Celtic Metalsmith

The Art of the Celtic Metalsmith

This research paper was presented at the Society of North American Goldsmiths Conference at Cranbrook Academy of Art in June,...
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Coloring Techniques for Metalsmiths

Coloring Techniques for Metalsmiths

Jewelers are a restless and inquisitive group. Not content with producing sumptuous jewelry, they spray it with chemicals, dip it...
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Chain and Bracelet Catches 2

Chain and Bracelet Catches 2

Box catches lend themselves to a wide range of shapes and are frequently used on chains, bracelets and cuff bracelets....
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Hydraulic Die Forming for the Artist/Metalsmith

Hydraulic Die Forming for the Artist/Metalsmith

Hydraulic die forming is a process which hasn't received a lot of press. Perhaps its usefulness seems limited to mass...
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The Jewelry of Hermann Junger

The Jewelry of Hermann Junger

Over the past forty years, jewelry making has become increasingly rich and diversified as the time-honored reliance on precious metals...
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Jewellery Career Options

One of the most interesting things about the jewellery/metals field is that there are so many career options, so many...
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The Art of Anticlastic Raising

The Art of Anticlastic Raising

Transforming a single sheet of metal into an undulating organic form using only a hammer and stake is the art...
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Ways to Choose a Birthstone

"My birthstone is emerald," a potential customer recently told me. "But I don't like green," she continued, "so I never...
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Charles Loloma – Hopi Modernist

Charles Loloma – Hopi Modernist

Master jeweler Charles Loloma was a Hopi spiritual leader -- a member of the Badger Clan and a Hopi snake...
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Basic Bead Setting Techniques

Basic Bead Setting Techniques

First the stone's diameter is measured at the pavillion and a dent is made in the metal for the pilot...
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Simple Method of Forming Jump Rings

Simple Method of Forming Jump Rings

This paper describes a simple process of forming jump rings. These jump rings were formed from 16 guage sterling silver...
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Manufacturing Mokume Gane Jewelry

Manufacturing Mokume Gane Jewelry

Mokume gane translated from Japanese means "wood eye metal". This rare metal lamination process was developed and used by Japanese...
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The Life and Art of Sascha Brastoff

The Life and Art of Sascha Brastoff

Sascha Brastoff was known for his talent and ability in many fields of art, both performing and visual, both fine...
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The Jewelry of Gijs Bakker

The Jewelry of Gijs Bakker

Since the late 60s, Gijs Bakker (b. 1942) has been influential to both Dutch and international jewelry design. His work,...
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The Copperwork of Santa Clara Del Cobre

The Copperwork of Santa Clara Del Cobre

Dusty cobblestone streets traversed by oxen and donkeys pulling hay carts, anvils ringing, woodsmoke, chickens pecking next to the wooden...
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Ed Levin: 40 Years of Craft Jewelry

Ed Levin: 40 Years of Craft Jewelry

It is only within the past two decades that craft jewelry has become big business. From a marketing viewpoint, the...
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Art Smith: Goldsmith and Silversmith

Art Smith: Goldsmith and Silversmith

In a promotional flyer from the early 1950s. Art Smith offered a "fanciful ring of space, silver and gold." The...
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The Bauhaus Metal Workshop, 1919-1927

The Bauhaus Metal Workshop, 1919-1927

In this article Deborah Norton traces the rise and fall of this seminal 20th-century school. Although Bauhaus policy revolved around...
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Pulse-Arc-Welder: Creating Jewelry

Pulse-Arc-Welder: Creating Jewelry

For this project, the No. 1 tip was used with the ABI Pulse Arc Welder. Five tips come with the...
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Working with Platinum & Platinum Designing

My skills as an artist combined with my years of experience at the bench have given me a practical approach...
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Engraving Machines

Engraving Machines

This segment from the 2017 MJSA Journal November issue is dedicated to metals, tools, software and more that aids jewelers...
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The Jewelry of Manfred Bischoff

The Jewelry of Manfred Bischoff

Manfred Bischoff has a fascination with language. Like many Europeans of his generation, Bischoff is fluent in several languages, including...
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Creating Colorful Jewelry Designs

Creating Colorful Jewelry Designs

When most people think of colored jewelry, their minds conjure visions of rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. After all, jewelry makers...
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Ed Wiener: Arts and Ends

Ed Wiener: Arts and Ends

Ed Wiener exemplifies the studio jewelry artist of the late 1940s and 50s. The first time we met, this fascinating...
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American Modernist Jewelry 1940-1960

American Modernist Jewelry 1940-1960

Recently, collectors have discovered a body of silver jewelry, eclectic in scope—by turns serious and whimsical—creative, original and quintessentially modern....
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The Jewelry of Thomas Mann

The Jewelry of Thomas Mann

Not so many years ago Thomas Mann figured that 2002 would be his year to retire. But the projected date...
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Gerda Flöckinger: First Lady of British Jewelry

Gerda Flöckinger: First Lady of British Jewelry

Starting in the early 1950s, Gerda Flöckinger worked to change the face of British jewelry. Others joined her fledgling crusade,...
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The Work of Three Contemporary Wire Artists

The Work of Three Contemporary Wire Artists

Working on the most meticulous and precise scale, three contemporary wire artists, Barbara SilverStein, Nikki Feldbaum and Biba Schutz create...
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History of Contemporary Canadian Jewellery

History of Contemporary Canadian Jewellery

The history of contemporary Canadian jewellery, like that of Canada itself, has struggled with the assimilation of foreign influences, economies...
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William Spratling: Creator of Modern Taxco Silver

William Spratling: Creator of Modern Taxco Silver

For the past 60 years, tourists visiting Mexico have sought distinctive silver jewelry and holloware, crafted by native artisans. Although...
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CAD Modeling Prong Settings

CAD Modeling Prong Settings

If you're designing jewelry using CAD, understanding how the piece will be cast and then set and finished at the...
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Jewellers’ Objective Attitude Towards Designing

It is sometimes useful to have criticism of one's work in order to develop it. While studying as an apprentice...
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Project Management for Jewelers

I came up with this system to solve some production and prioritizing problems at a small custom jewelry store. We...
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Designing Contemporary Flatware

Designing Contemporary Flatware

No single item is more used yet more neglected than flatware. It is used in one form or another by...
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A Conversation with Angela Cummings

A Conversation with Angela Cummings

In October of 1983 Angela Cummings announced that she would end a 16-year association with Tiffany & Company in order...
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Paul A. Lobel: Innovator of Mid-Century Design

Paul A. Lobel: Innovator of Mid-Century Design

The accomplishments of Paul A. Lobel, industrial designer, metalsmith, sculptor and cartoonist/illustrator, may be viewed as the quintessential American success...
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The Metalwork and Jewelry of Harry Bertoia

The Metalwork and Jewelry of Harry Bertoia

Harry Bertoia was not simply a metalsmith or a furniture designer, sculptor or printmaker, artist or craftsman. He was all...
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Creating Equal Divisions in Stone Setting

Creating Equal Divisions in Stone Setting

Below are steps for an easy way to create equal divisions in setting stones that jewelers need to know. Dividing...
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The Work of Keith Lewis

The Work of Keith Lewis

Possibly the most controversial jewelry artist now working in the United States, Keith Lewis Is undergoing a transition from propagandist...
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Claire Falkenstein: Never-Ending Universe

Claire Falkenstein: Never-Ending Universe

Claire Falkenstein is a master of linear metal sculpture. Hers is not an art of solid form, as relating to...
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The School for American Craftsmen (SAC)

The School for American Craftsmen (SAC)

The history of the School for American Craftsmen (SAC) can be seen as a microcosm of the history of the...
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Ancient Etruscan Metalsmiths

Ancient Etruscan Metalsmiths

Looking down the long corridors of time, the ancient Etruscans emerge as a powerful people whose economic and social development...
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Emmy Van Leersum: Lines and Patterns

Emmy Van Leersum: Lines and Patterns

Dutch jewelry designer Emmy van Leersum, who died November 2, 1984, had been internationally recognized for over 20 years. Her...
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The Enamelwork of Jamie Bennett

The Enamelwork of Jamie Bennett

It is a rare and most welcome event when a technical innovation is accompanied by an esthetic revelation. This is...
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The Helen Williams Drutt Collection of Modern Jewelry

The Helen Williams Drutt Collection of Modern Jewelry

The Helen Williams Drutt Collection offers a personal view of the development in fine art jewelry over the past 20...
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The Work of Tom Muir

The Work of Tom Muir

Silver has been a part of American domestic ritual and tradition since the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when bourgeois families...
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The Jewelry of Michael Zobel

The Jewelry of Michael Zobel

What he wanted to be was a painter, although he was also thinking about being a graphic artist or book...
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The World of David Freda

The World of David Freda

One function of art is to challenge the status quo-to persuade, shock, or seduce us into seeing the world, and...
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Victoria Lansford on the Art of Filigree

Victoria Lansford on the Art of Filigree

Victoria Lansford on the art of filigree—Russian or otherwise BOX: The Art of Handcraft Every jewelry designer can pinpoint the...
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The American Kayserzinn Pewter Exhibition

The American Kayserzinn Pewter Exhibition

The first American exhibition of Kayserzinn Pewter, the trademark for art pewter ware manufactured at the turn of the century...
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Profitable Jewelry Design and Repair

A few years ago, Jewelers Circular Magazine reported that over 75% of all retail jewelers in America lose money on...
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Rendering Design and Process

Rendering Design and Process

This is the second in a series of articles on the art and skill of rendering jewelry and small metal...
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Mary Lee Hu: The Purpose and Persistence of Wire

Mary Lee Hu: The Purpose and Persistence of Wire

Mary Lee Mary Lee Hu has worked with wire - looping, wrapping, weaving and most notably twining—for the past 22...
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The Work of Marie Zimmermann

The Work of Marie Zimmermann

Imagine walking into your studio and having the skill and confidence to create anything you desire. From the tiniest ladys...
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Enameling Care and Considerations

Enameling Care and Considerations

The primary reason designer Amy Roper Lyons of Summit, New Jersey, began working in enamels is fairly black and white:...
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Jewelry Making Study Sheet

Jewelry Making Study Sheet

Jewelry making is a big job. That is that there is a lot to know and a lot to learn....
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A Metalsmith’s Guide to Rome

A Metalsmith’s Guide to Rome

Rome. Truly the eternal city, where every monument reflects simultaneously the past and the present. As Goethe so aptly states...
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The Work of Michael Boyd

The Work of Michael Boyd

Jewelry artist Michael Boyd fills his cup with newfound forms and shapes. Well known for his contemporary roll-on cuff bracelets...
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CAD/CAM Techniques

CAD/CAM Techniques

The strength of Computer Aided Design &  Manufacturing is similar to that of any other tool on the bench:it is...
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Peruvian Jewelry Art and Metalwork

Peruvian Jewelry Art and Metalwork

Peru, Land of the Inca, the Sun Worshippers, Land of Gold (the "Sweat of the Sun"), Land of Silver (the...
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Laurie Hall: A Primitive Contemporary

Laurie Hall: A Primitive Contemporary

It takes a powerful psyche to cope with and build on the kind of support and inspiration that has surrounded...
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Hermann Jünger: German Goldsmith

Hermann Jünger: German Goldsmith

From 1988 to 1989, German goldsmith Hermann Jünger was celebrated in his native country with a major retrospective of his...
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Master Metalsmith Alan Adler

Master Metalsmith Alan Adler

I first discovered Allan Adler's Silversmithing Shop about 23 years ago when I arrived in Southern California to begin my...
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The Work of Steven Ford and David Forlano

The Work of Steven Ford and David Forlano

Visitors to craft shows may know Steven Ford and David Forlano by their company name, CityZenCane, the polymer clay guys,...
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Translating Line Art into 3D Models in Matrix

Translating Line Art into 3D Models in Matrix

Line art, such as logos, family crests, text or numbers, cartoon characters, and even sketches can be quickly and easily...
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Naum Slutzky Jewelry at the Bauhaus

Naum Slutzky Jewelry at the Bauhaus

From 1919-23 the Bauhaus also had a jewelry workshop run as a private enterprise by Naum Slutzky. He was on...
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The Inventive Jewelry of Earl Pardon

The Inventive Jewelry of Earl Pardon

Earl Pardon's work has an elusive quality that is difficult to describe, yet this quality has motivated him throughout years...
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The Metal Arts Guild of Ontario

The Metal Arts Guild of Ontario

In 1946 a small band of metal enthusiasts in Toronto, Canada, formed the Metal Arts Guild (MAG) "to promote and...
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The Civil War Chess Set

The Civil War Chess Set

Richly detailed portrait sculptures of great American heroes—in solid pewter, solid brass and fine enamels. An heirloom chess set to...
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William Harper: Artist as Alchemist

William Harper: Artist as Alchemist

It seems only just, when so many barriers are collapsing, that one of the more prophetic artists of the late...
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Arline Fisch: The Art of Wearable Magic

Arline Fisch: The Art of Wearable Magic

The most intriguing characteristic of Arline Fisch's work, particularly the textile constructions, is their utter transformation when worn. What may...
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The Jewelry of Antonio Bernardo

The Jewelry of Antonio Bernardo

From autodidact to prize-winning designer: 30 years ago, the Brazilian national Antonio bernardo founded his jewelry production firm in Rio...
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A Feminist Perspective

A taboo was broken when the word ”feminist" was used in the review of "Form Beyond Function" in Metalsmith (Spring...
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The Jewelry, Art and Artifact of Ramona Solberg

The Jewelry, Art and Artifact of Ramona Solberg

In the three years since her retirement from 31 years of teaching, Ramona Solberg has had three exhibitions of her...
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The Arts and Crafts Movement

The Arts and Crafts Movement

"It is allowing machines to be our masters and not our servants that so insures the beauty of life nowadays."...
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Master Metalsmith Irena Brynner

Master Metalsmith Irena Brynner

The following text is edited from two interviews taped in 1982 with Irena Brynner, one by Dorothy Van Arsdale in...
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Christian Schmidt: The New Naturalism

Christian Schmidt: The New Naturalism

Christian Schmidt is infamous for his contribution to the 1964 "Fiber, Clay, Metal" exhibition at the St. Paul Art Center,...
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Computer Design of Jewelry

Computer Design of Jewelry

Professions and professional skills change over the years. In this context, it is an undeniable fact that computers have revolutionized...
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Production Jewelers: Design & Industrial Techniques

Production Jewelers: Design & Industrial Techniques

This is the second in a series of articles about production jewelers. This installment concentrates on design versus saleability, the...
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Making a 950 Palladium Signet Ring

Making a 950 Palladium Signet Ring

The natural beauty of this white, bright and light palladium ring is enhanced with hand engraving of initials done in...
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The Jewelry of Sue Amendolara

The Jewelry of Sue Amendolara

Once upon a time, all art was about nature, the simplification or elaboration of natural forms. Egyptians assembled leaves of...
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The Jewelry of Barney Jette

The Jewelry of Barney Jette

Barney Jette and wife Nancy Ball have built a retail success story, solely focused on jewelry featuring Jettes design. The...
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Charles Loloma: Spirit of the New

Charles Loloma: Spirit of the New

On January 7, 1921, a son was born to Rex of the Sand and Tobacco Clan and Rachael Loloma of...
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Sustainable Alternatives

Sustainable Alternatives

Jewelers redefining what it means to source responsibly Martin Taber is happy. “I am living in a world where people...
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The Jewelry of Barbara Seidenath

The Jewelry of Barbara Seidenath

When Venetian glassmakers sold out their state secrets to Czech glassmakers, Jablonec began its hegemony in glass beads. The region...
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Social Networking Tips for Jewelry Companies

The most trusted way for Jewelers, Artists, Craftsmen ' Metalsmiths to discover state-of-the-art products and services has fundamentally changed. Word-of-mouth has become a Metalsmiths most efficient way of learning about new products...
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The Jewlery of Alberto Zorzi

The Jewlery of Alberto Zorzi

People who think exclusively of geometric forms when they hear the name Alberto Zorzi only know half the story. His...
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How to Make a Plique a Jour Fairy

How to Make a Plique a Jour Fairy

This is a HIDI, (How I Do It). It is not the only way to make a piece like this,...
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Judging Juried Exhibition

Judging Juried Exhibition

The cry of the rejected: “Why?” is the loudest single continuing lament heard after every juried show. Even when juror’s...
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Master Metalsmith John Paul Miller

Master Metalsmith John Paul Miller

A provocative dilemma evolves when one attempts to use the written word to describe things which are in essence ineffable....
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Richard Reinhardt: Discontinuous Continuity

Richard Reinhardt: Discontinuous Continuity

Richard Reinhardt's best-known pieces today are silver bracelets, constructed in concave or convex forms that curve smoothly and logically in...
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Jeweler Larry Bruno Recycles

Jeweler Larry Bruno Recycles

When Larry Bruno built his new store across from picturesque Springfield Falls in western Pennsylvania, he knew he had lucked...
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Helen Shirk: Patterns of Growth

Helen Shirk: Patterns of Growth

Last fall, the National Ornamental Metal Museum in Memphis, Tennessee hosted a retrospective of the work of Helen Shirk. Nearly...
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Wendy Ramshaw: Picasso’s Ladies

Wendy Ramshaw: Picasso’s Ladies

Those of us who have been following Wendy Ramshaw's work, for close to 20 years, hove come to anticipate the...
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Cultural Myths Defining Jewelry

Cultural Myths Defining Jewelry

A woman's job evaluation included the observation that she showed unmistakable signs of penis envy. "The unmistakable signs were. ....
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The Enamelwork of Bill Helwig

The Enamelwork of Bill Helwig

When enamelist Bill Helwig celebrated the half-century mark in July of 1988, his wife Lenore Davis, asked the celebrants to...
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Platinum Casting with Gemstones

Platinum casting with gemstones in place has been the latest development before the end of the second millennium. It has...
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The Jewelry of Vincent Ferrini

The Jewelry of Vincent Ferrini

On the second floor of a historic wooden building in an elegant shopping area of affluent Concord, Massachusetts, is found...
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Splendor Jewellery – A Labor of Love

Splendor Jewellery – A Labor of Love

Orsolya Ráski Nagy and Daniel Nagy Splendor Jewellery Budakeszi, Hungary First Place, Professional Excellence (4 or More Years in Business)...
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The Life Works of Carl Jennings

The Life Works of Carl Jennings

This past fall, the National Ornamental Metal Museum in Memphis, Tennessee mounted a retrospective exhibition of the work of master...
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The Life and Times of J. Fred Woell

The Life and Times of J. Fred Woell

Fred Woell's spirit was born in and of the sixties. His molten slogans register, graffitt-ilike, upon the collective "wall" of...
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Manufacturing a Free-Form Pendant

Manufacturing a Free-Form Pendant

This article features the manufacturing steps for a one-of-a-kind free-form pendant designed and created by Barney Jette. The center stone...
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A Faberge Inspired Mechanical Jewelry Egg

A Faberge Inspired Mechanical Jewelry Egg

Early in 1984 Jack called to see if I'd be interested in creating an anniversary gift to celebrate twenty-five years...
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Betty Helen Longhi Exhibition

Betty Helen Longhi Exhibition

It is refreshing to see a designer of Betty Helen Longhi's ability break away from the museum mentality and move...
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The Jewelry of Holly Lee

The Jewelry of Holly Lee

It takes an interesting person to make interesting jewelry and Holly Lee fits the bill. Originally from a family that...
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The Jewelry of Reiko Ishiyama

The Jewelry of Reiko Ishiyama

The delicious paradox of quantum physics is that matter exists simultaneously as particle and as wave. Much of Reiko Ishiyama's...
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Peter Macchiarini: A Modern Bohemian

Peter Macchiarini: A Modern Bohemian

An article in the February 19, 1982 issues of the San Francisco Chronicle ironically suggests that "No body of water,...
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Virtual Engraving in Matrix

Virtual Engraving in Matrix

When using CAD/CAM products like Gemvision's Matrix, there are a number of "virtual" techniques to achieve renderings that more closely...
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Experimental Jewelry from Senegal

Experimental Jewelry from Senegal

Experimentelles Schmuck design (Experimental Jewelry Design) is the name of a project implemented by the Berlin-based painter and goldsmith Werner...
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A Metalsmith’s Guide to Toronto

A Metalsmith’s Guide to Toronto

In the Ojibway language, Toronto means "meeting place." At this site on the northern shore of Lake Ontario 18th-century French...
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Master Metalsmith Robert von Neumann

Master Metalsmith Robert von Neumann

This article was completed just weeks before Robert von Neumann's accidental fall and subsequent death on April 23, 1984. Books...
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Elsa Freund on Elsaramic Jewelry

Elsa Freund on Elsaramic Jewelry

We are often drawn to the naïve sensibility of self-taught artists in any medium. The fresh, unassuming quality of their...
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Overcoming Lightweight Casting Challenges

Overcoming Lightweight Casting Challenges

It's no wonder that as precious metals prices have risen to new heights over the past few years, jewelry castings...
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The Work of Jennifer Crupi

The Work of Jennifer Crupi

Cool, glistening, and vaguely human, Jennifer Crupi's sculpture and jewelry arouse curiosity even as they evoke fear. While the power...
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The Work of William Frederick

The Work of William Frederick

Daniel Pedersons planishing hammer came into the possession of William Frederick in a way that still provokes emotion. Pederson, a...
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Renaissance Ring by Andrew Costen

Renaissance Ring by Andrew Costen

Known for his contemporary designs, Andrew Costen of Costen Catbalue in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, enjoys occasionally returning to his...
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The Work of Yuyen Chang

The Work of Yuyen Chang

Chang's work is intentionally anthropomorphic, disturbingly so. She likens her technique to that of a plastic surgeon, shaping and sculpting...
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Wire Wrapping Enamel Pieces

Wire Wrapping Enamel Pieces

Everyone has long seen gems wrapped in small wire cages with hanging devices, and more recently, the Dichroic glass pendants...
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The Jewelry Art of Lisa Gralnick

The Jewelry Art of Lisa Gralnick

Lisa Gralnick makes jewelry of rare power from imagined artifacts of our own time. Its extraordinary impact derives from her...
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Practical Approach to CAD/CAM

Once more the realm of engineers and number-crunchers, CAD over the years has become more user-friendly and artisan-intuitive. Similarly, small-shop,...
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The Jewelry of Cynthia Eid

The Jewelry of Cynthia Eid

Standing in her forming studio, surrounded by hammers, stakes, and photo equipment, metalsmith Cynthia Eid is experiencing a moment of...
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Chunghi Choo: The Energy Qi

Chunghi Choo: The Energy Qi

Chunghi Choo captures her joyful creativity in sensuous forms and beguiling surfaces, but, despite this sumptuousness, simplicity harmony and tranquility...
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Messages on Jewelry Designs

Messages on Jewelry Designs

As many and varied as the reasons may be to publicize a message or to make a very personal statement,...
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Metalsmith ’86 Spring: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’86 Spring: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases the various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1986 Spring issue of...
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Superfit’s Hinge and Latch System

Superfit’s Hinge and Latch System

Getting a superior fit on your next custom ring order could be just a few mouse clicks away. Superfit Inc.,...
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Claus Bury Architectonic Propositions

Claus Bury Architectonic Propositions

Claus Bury's rejection of his immediate past, a long standing European tradition in goldsmithing, and his defection to the fine...
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Dirk Van Erp: Arts & Crafts Coppersmith

Dirk Van Erp: Arts & Crafts Coppersmith

Due to a recent comprehensive exhibition at the San Francisco Craft & Folk Art Museum, we reintroduce to our readers...
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Pat Pruitt’s Stainless Steel Jewelry

Pat Pruitt’s Stainless Steel Jewelry

Pat Pruitt of Paguate, New Mexico, has been working with stainless steel for over a decade. Three years ago, he...
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The Jewelry of Sandra Enterline

The Jewelry of Sandra Enterline

Since earning a BFA at the Rhode Island School of Design in 1983, Enterline has narrowed her focus to a...
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The Jewelry of Steff Korsage

The Jewelry of Steff Korsage

Jewelry artist Steff Korsage followed her own determined path to find her own distinct voice, making hollow forms from metal...
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The Ardagh Chalice

The Ardagh Chalice

Ardagh now is scarcely more than a place-name; it is in County Limerick in Ireland. In 1868, while a peasant...
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Conversation with Stanley Lechtzin on Olaf Skoogfors

Conversation with Stanley Lechtzin on Olaf Skoogfors

This is an excerpt from an interview with Stanley Lechtzin about the life of Olaf Skoogfors. Olaf Skoogfors and Stanley...
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The Jewelry of Glenda Arentzen

The Jewelry of Glenda Arentzen

At mid-career, goldsmith Glenda Arentzen still produces jewelry with the freshness that has been her hallmark for a quarter of...
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Is There a Jewelry Avant-garde?

Is There a Jewelry Avant-garde?

The term avant-garde is freighted with baggage from its source in military language. Consider the implications of applying the idea...
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Belgian Contemporary Jewelry Designers

Belgian Contemporary Jewelry Designers

The brain child of a private art-craft dealer, Denise Renard-Honhon, this exhibition presented 22 of Belgium's contemporary jewelry designers. The...
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The Artemis Medallion

The Artemis Medallion

In northern Greece, sometime after the death of Alexander the Great, a master goldsmith fashioned this unusual medallion with its...
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The Metal Art of Robert Ebendorf

The Metal Art of Robert Ebendorf

Crushed tin foil, marred tintypes, rusted cans—some must have thought it looked like garbage. In 1967, this detritus of our...
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The Works of Solveig Haukaas

The Works of Solveig Haukaas

Solveig Haukaas started to work in an enamel workshop in Bergen, Norway when she was near 17 years old. One...
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Resolving Surface Irregularities in T-Splines

Resolving Surface Irregularities in T-Splines

T-splines, a plug-in for Rhinoceros CAD software and bundled with Matrix 7 and above, is a great modeling tool for...
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The Search for Modernist Style Jewelry

The Search for Modernist Style Jewelry

It was about seven years ago, I was living in Paris, spending a typical Sunday afternoon scouring the flea markets...
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Kenneth Bates: Dean of American Enameling

Kenneth Bates: Dean of American Enameling

When I asked him who Kenneth Bates is, he laughed and replied "a simple dirt farmer from New England." However,...
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The Jewelry of Barbara Heinrich

The Jewelry of Barbara Heinrich

Jewelry maker and studio boss Barbara Heinrich keeps business strategies and artistic expression in harmony while creating jewelry designs that...
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The Jewelry of Donald Stuart

The Jewelry of Donald Stuart

Someone once called Donald Stuart a Renaissance Man, an that doesnt seem too far from the truth. In a career...
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5 German Jewelers Marketing Strategies

5 German Jewelers Marketing Strategies

Five German jewelers who chose not to follow the traditional vocational training of "master goldsmith," but rather opted to study...
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CAD/CAM: Creating a Class Ring – Part 1

CAD/CAM: Creating a Class Ring – Part 1

Advanced Jewelry Technologies (owned by this author) and Rio Grande are introducing a new CAD CAM system designed to make...
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A Conversation with Bjorn Weckstrom

A Conversation with Bjorn Weckstrom

Björn Weckström, a Finnish designer who has enjoyed a virtually unparalleled opportunity in his native country, was the keynote speaker...
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The Work of Judy Evans

In a speech recently delivered at the Platinum Day Symposium, entitled Evolution of a Design, Ms. Evans detailed her affinity...
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Harold Hasselschwert: Materialization of the Exotic

Harold Hasselschwert: Materialization of the Exotic

Possibly of another time and almost certainly of another place, Hal or Harold Hasselschwert enamels entice the imagination with the...
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Mark Stanitz: Material Evidence

Mark Stanitz: Material Evidence

The life and work of Mark Stanitz are a study in balances and contrasts. His physical life is lived in...
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Robert Lee Morris: The Business of Marketing Art Jewelry

Robert Lee Morris: The Business of Marketing Art Jewelry

Jewelry was never on his mind—at least not while he was studying art and anthropology in college. It was filmmaking...
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The San Francisco Metal Arts Guild

The San Francisco Metal Arts Guild

When I returned from Europe in 1951, my friend Margaret de Patta called and invited me to join a group...
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Flat Topped Solitaire Setting

Flat Topped Solitaire Setting

The Flat Topped Solitaire Setting is a popular style setting that is slightly more complicated to set than the standard...
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Galleries: The Yaw Gallery

Galleries: The Yaw Gallery

This is a continuing series on galleries that specialize in jewelry and metalwork. The Yaw Gallery is owned and operated...
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Susan Hamlet: Culture Of Materials

Susan Hamlet: Culture Of Materials

"Culture of materials," an expression originating from the early 20th-century teaching of Russian Constructivist Vladimir Tatlin, defines the artist's deliberate...
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The Holloware of David Huang

The Holloware of David Huang

Several disparate techniques and a clear personal philosophy came together over a period of years to produce these extraordinary pieces....
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Caroline Broadhead: Jewelry and Beyond

Caroline Broadhead: Jewelry and Beyond

Deborah Norton interviewed Caroline Broadhead regarding her recent retrospective at the Crafts Council in London and her recent change from...
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The work of Robly Glover

The work of Robly Glover

Archetypal images in sheet-constructed holloware, the vessels of Robly Glover give concrete form to the most ethereal and intuitive of...
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Fabricating a Free Form Opal Pendant

Fabricating a Free Form Opal Pendant

I received this opal from a woman who had cut it years ago. Her customer was aware it had a...
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Full eBook: Practical Jewelry Rendering

Full eBook: Practical Jewelry Rendering

This practical tool-in-a-book combines instruction on rendering techniques with unique guides that assist designers as they conceive jewelry and other...
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In Memory of Adda Husted-Andersen, 1900-1990

In Memory of Adda Husted-Andersen, 1900-1990

On September 13, 1990, Adda Husted-Andersen, familiarly known as Andy, died in Copenhagen, Denmark, her native land. She was a...
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The Work of Judith Hoyt

The Work of Judith Hoyt

For more than 20 years Judith Hoyt has parsed the human figure in metal and mixed media. Beginning with a...
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Lynda Watson-Abbott: Visual Diaries

Lynda Watson-Abbott: Visual Diaries

Some people keep written diaries, others carry a camera, while others use the latest in video technology to record their...
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Metalsmith ’88 Summer: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’88 Summer: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1988 Summer issue of the...
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Hiroko Sato Pijanowski – Artistic Research Into Spiritual Expression

Hiroko Sato Pijanowski – Artistic Research Into Spiritual Expression

Creativity is problem-solving, a skill based on the conscious and/or unconscious recombination and juxtaposition of information derived from diverse sources...
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Getting to know Mark Loren

Getting to know Mark Loren

This article is an interview with jewelry designer Mark Loren. Read on to get his insights and genius behind his...
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CAD/CAM: Passion and Innovation

CAD/CAM: Passion and Innovation

Greg Stopka and his wife Lee began JewelSmiths 18 years ago with a belief they could succeed by providing jewelry...
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Fads and Fallacies: Surrealism in Jewelry

Fads and Fallacies: Surrealism in Jewelry

While Surrealism has had a major impact on how we look at 20th-century art, the same cannot be said for...
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A Dedication to Olaf Skoogfors

A Dedication to Olaf Skoogfors

Born in Bredsjo, Sweden, June 27, 1930, Olaf Skoogfors initially came to the United States when he was four years...
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Metalsmith ’86 Fall: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’86 Fall: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases the various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1986 Fall issue of...
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Playing Favorites with Dallae Kang

Playing Favorites with Dallae Kang

It’s easy to name your favorite gemstone or metal to work in, but what if you had to name your...
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Metalsmith ’91 Summer: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’91 Summer: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1991 Summer issue of the...
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Fridl Blumenthal: Grand Dame of Metalwork

Fridl Blumenthal: Grand Dame of Metalwork

Having turned 80 with the spring this year, Fridl Blumenthal qualifies as a grand old lady of metalwork. Like grande...
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The Work of Georg Bunz

The Work of Georg Bunz

The renowned jewelry and watch manufacturer Bunz will celebrate its 30th anniversary in June 2005. Since the company was launched...
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Fabricated Reversible Pearl Pendant

Fabricated Reversible Pearl Pendant

Design ideas often begin one way, then evolve into something different. Such was the case with Robin Waynee's two-sided palladium...
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Joan Dulla – Respect for Niobium

Joan Dulla – Respect for Niobium

Dulla crochets niobium wire into airy beads and necklaces studded with Swarovski crystals. The result is jewelry that is bright,...
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Samuel Yellin, Metalworker

Samuel Yellin, Metalworker

At a time marked by an international revival of the blacksmith's art, the Samuel Yellin exhibition at the Federal Reserve...
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The Jewelry of Patsy Croft

The Jewelry of Patsy Croft

"Bright colors we can find only in nature, quality craftsmanship that will outlast the seasons, and a promise to do...
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Cheuk Ying Kwan – Purposely Imperfect

Cheuk Ying Kwan – Purposely Imperfect

Cheuk Ying Kwan Hong Kong Design Institute Hong Kong First Place, Future of the Industry Cheuk Ying Kwan, a student...
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Thomas Gentille: Performance of the Ephemeral

Thomas Gentille: Performance of the Ephemeral

Although Thomas Gentille has the distinction of having a black ceramic glaze named for him, it is his little-known recovery...
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Art and Technics: Franklin Porter

Art and Technics: Franklin Porter

This article is one of a series of articles from Metalsmith Magazine “Art and Technics” talking about techniques in craftsmanship...
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Fads and Fallacies: Renegade Ornament

Fads and Fallacies: Renegade Ornament

Over the last several years, a growing number of North Americans have been obtaining nontraditional pierces. Pierced penises, nipples, navels,...
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Rebekah Laskin: Material Voice

Rebekah Laskin: Material Voice

Rebekah Laskin is an enamelist with a new subtlety and depth of purpose unique to the metalsmithing community. She has...
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Carrie Adell: Energies of Transformation

Carrie Adell: Energies of Transformation

Carrie Adell is perhaps best known for her jewelry which transforms common, familiar, organic and geometric objects and forms into...
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The Work of Mark Rooker

The Work of Mark Rooker

Missiles chase one another around Mark Rooker's Circular Reasoning. Beneath the smoke plumes, lustrous silver water ripples on the bracelet's...
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Basic Approach to Product Design

Design is a perennial issue for all who produce objects meant for a specific use, utilitarian, in contrast to objects...
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Felicia Liban and Learning to Enamel

Felicia Liban and Learning to Enamel

While living in Little Neck, NY, during the mid-sixties, I took an enameling class at the local YWHA. It took...
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Gary Griffith’s Jewelry and Constructions

Gary Griffith’s Jewelry and Constructions

When Gary Griffith wrote this poetic meditation (see below) on the status of his work for an exhibition at the...
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Production Jewelers: Marketing Production

Production Jewelers: Marketing Production

This is the third in a series of articles from Metalsmith about production jewelers. This installment concentrates on marketing production...
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Leslie Leupp: Exploring the Possibilities

Leslie Leupp: Exploring the Possibilities

A year before the first appearance of the Memphis collection at the Milan Furniture Fair in 1981, Leslie Leupp was...
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Ted Muehling: Sensual Punctuation

Ted Muehling: Sensual Punctuation

Before moving his studio operation to a ground-floor space in Soho, just last year, Ted Muehling lived and worked in...
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An Interview with Leila Tai

An Interview with Leila Tai

In this article, renowned enamelist Leila Tai discusses her many motivations and inspirations as well as her creative process in...
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The Form Beyond Function Exhibition

The Form Beyond Function Exhibition

"Form Beyond Function" was organized by Kington and David Prince of the Mitchell Museum, Mt. Vernon, Illinois, in conjunction with...
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Metalsmith ’90 Summer: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’90 Summer: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1990 Summer issue of the...
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The Work of Lilly Fitzgerald

The Work of Lilly Fitzgerald

The jewelry of Lilly Fitzgerald is washed in serenity. There is a soothing balance, peacefulness, and grace to her timeless...
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Megan Thorne on Lene Vibe’s Magical Jewelry

Megan Thorne on Lene Vibe’s Magical Jewelry

Megan Thorne, owner of Megan Thorne Fine Jewels in Fort Worth, Texas, loves antique jewelry. In fact, she shares that...
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Fancy Color Diamonds

Fancy Color Diamonds

Coveted for their beauty and rarity, fancy color diamonds remain the hottest category in the diamond market. At gem and...
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Master Metalsmith Svetozar Radakovich

Master Metalsmith Svetozar Radakovich

This appreciation by Robert McDonald, former chief curator of the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art in California, was written...
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The Future of Design

The Future of Design

Inhorgenta europe (2005) - 20 young designers and newcomers to the trade fair have the opportunity to present their work...
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Alex and Ani – Positive Energy

Alex and Ani – Positive Energy

For Alex and Ani, booming success points back to manufacturing locally, with love Pharmaceutical salesperson Kelly Oliver logs thousands of...
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Metalsmith ’88 Spring: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’88 Spring: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1988 Spring issue of the...
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Metalsmith ’87 Summer: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’87 Summer: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1987 Summer issue of the...
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British Jewellery and German Jewellery

British Jewellery and German Jewellery

On British Jewellery and German Jewellery, contrary to what one might infer about this exhibition, mounted at the Crafts Council...
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The Ethics of Materials

The Ethics of Materials

I have always thought that if no other lesson had begun to seep through peoples' inertia and greed, that at...
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The Jewelry of Connie Verrusio

The Jewelry of Connie Verrusio

Fascinated by the way things work, Connie Verrusio creates radical new jewelry forms from leftover functions. Connie Verrusio has double...
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Mystery Box Jewelry Challenge

Mystery Box Jewelry Challenge

Welcome to the Mystery Box Challenge! You are among the select designers who have received this box of materials, Your...
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Great Minds Take Jewelry Design to New Heights

Great Minds Take Jewelry Design to New Heights

om Dailing works in metal and Richard Homer in stone, but otherwise they are very much in sync. Dailings jewelry...
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The Work of Lisa Jenks

The Work of Lisa Jenks

Eighteen months ago, New York City-based designer Lisa Jenks began a partnership with Origins, the well-known skin care products store....
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John Marshall – The Birth of Time

John Marshall – The Birth of Time

John Marshalls position in American art is an awkward one. His sculptures of fine silver with acrylic, Corian, wood, and...
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Wendy Ramshaw Retrospective Exhibition

Wendy Ramshaw Retrospective Exhibition

This exhibit, which originated at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 1982, will be traveling for two years...
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Meteorite Pendant by Jacob Albee

Meteorite Pendant by Jacob Albee

Like many jewelers, Jacob Albee of Jacob Albee Goldsmith in Burlington, Vermont, buys stones without always knowing what he’s going...
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Fred Fenster: Function and Ceremony in Pewter and Silver

Fred Fenster: Function and Ceremony in Pewter and Silver

Fred Fenster is a compact man whose quiet friendliness and diffidence belies the intensity that lies just beneath the surface...
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Hans Appenzeller’s Elegant Designs

Hans Appenzeller’s Elegant Designs

In April of 1983, a simple and relatively unpretentious store joined the ranks of the illustrious "boutiques" and other high-priced...
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Organic Geometric Bracelet

Organic Geometric Bracelet

Always preferring a combination of metals in her jewelry, Sydney Lynch of Sydney Lynch Jewelry Inc. in Lincoln, Nebraska, discovered...
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Randy Polk – Stainless Steel Ring

Randy Polk – Stainless Steel Ring

A few years ago, Randy Polk of Randy Polk Designs in Fountain Hills, Arizona, knew he needed to make some...
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How to Make a Three Stone Dangle Pendant

How to Make a Three Stone Dangle Pendant

The assembly of this three stone pendant pendant appears simple but when using traditional methods to position and join the...
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Large Cloisonne Wall Pieces on Copper

I have worked in cloisonné on large-scale wall hangings and site-specific installations for public spaces. My work ranges from 8"...
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Laser Welding Solid Back on Opal Ring

Laser Welding Solid Back on Opal Ring

This article is a step by step procedure in Laser Welding Solid Back on Opal Ring. The customer wanted a...
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Metalsmith ’86 Winter: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’86 Winter: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases the various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1986 Winter issue of...
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Art and Technics: Experience

Art and Technics: Experience

This article is one of a series of articles from Metalsmith Magazine “Art and Technics” talking about techniques in craftsmanship...
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Metalsmith ’87 Spring: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’87 Spring: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1987 Spring issue of the...
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Galleries: Quadrum Gallery

Galleries: Quadrum Gallery

This is the third of a series on galleries that specialize in jewelry and metalwork. The Quadrum Gallery is owned...
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Zoe Zong – Sky Is the Limit

Zoe Zong – Sky Is the Limit

Zoe Zong ZoeZong LLC McKinley, Texas First Place, Professional Design Excellence (1-3 Years in Business) "We're born, but we make...
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Design and Creation of Elesa

Design and Creation of Elesa

While at the Atlanta Bench Jewelers Conference, my friend Elesa Dillon (the national sales manager for Southern Jewelry News and...
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Colored Gemstone Jewelry Design and Repair

An experienced bench jeweler will often be able to create almost any design that doesn't actually violate the laws of...
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Metalsmith ’88 Fall: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’88 Fall: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1988 Fall issue of the...
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Carol Kumata: Pandora’s Box

Carol Kumata: Pandora’s Box

"How to Wrap Five Eggs" was a dilemma posed by a cult book of Japanese packaging design in the mid-1960s....
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The Work of Jennifer Trask

The Work of Jennifer Trask

Jennifer Trask sometimes seems to approach jewelry like a natural historian, filling locket-sized, glass topped silver and gold cases with...
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The Work of Ivy Solomon

The Work of Ivy Solomon

Ivy Solomon combining resin, metal clay, and traditional fabrication techniques, her award-winning pendants are structured around textures and colors in...
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David Paul Bacharach – Weaving in Metal

David Paul Bacharach – Weaving in Metal

David Paul Bacharach is a part of the growing contingent of American metalsmiths who are challenging the Modernist tradition of...
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Metalsmith ’87 Fall: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’87 Fall: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1987 Fall issue of the...
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The Intimate Abstractions of Rachelle Thiewes

The Intimate Abstractions of Rachelle Thiewes

The third week of October was, ostensibly, a week like any other. But in the art world, it was a...
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Jewelry Making Tricks

Jewelry Making Tricks

Check out this list of 19 jewelry making tips and tricks for preparation, cleaning, setting, how-to's and more.
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The Work of Jay Song

The Work of Jay Song

"I'm not a secretive person," Song observes, 'but my work tells me I have many layers. I have a secret...
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Metalsmith ’85 Summer: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’85 Summer: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases the various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1985 Summer issue of...
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The Jewelry of Sofia Calderwood

The Jewelry of Sofia Calderwood

The work of Sofia Calderwood seems to be asking, Why do we wear jewelry? Is it to gain the attention...
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Laser Welding Sizing a Two-Tone Band

Laser Welding Sizing a Two-Tone Band

Sometimes you get a job like this one. Your customer has a platinum and 18k yellow gold wedding band that...
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In Memory of Olaf Skoogfors, 1930-1975

Olaf Skooglors died at the age of 45 on December 20, 1975. In memory of Olaf Skoogfors these excerpts were...
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The Washington Guild of Goldsmiths

The Washington Guild of Goldsmiths

It all began in 1978. Gretchen Klunder-Raber issued an open invitation to all persons interested in metalsmithing in the Washington,...
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Master Metalsmith Harold Stacey

Master Metalsmith Harold Stacey

Growing up in the house of a silversmith is an unusual experience, the more so if the place where one...
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Ornamenta 1: Jewelry Classifications

Ornamenta 1: Jewelry Classifications

To commit oneself in the jungle of jewelry classifications, categories and specification; to express an absolutely clear definition is an...
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Creating a 14KW Rubellite Tourmaline Pendant

Creating a 14KW Rubellite Tourmaline Pendant

Steve Satow describes the procedure on creating a 14KW Rubellite Tourmaline Pendant. Creating a 14KW Rubellite Tourmaline Pendant Beginning components...
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Robert Ebendorf and Ivy Ross Exhibition

Robert Ebendorf and Ivy Ross Exhibition

While this was not the first time that Ivy Ross and Robert Ebendorf have exhibited together, this exhibition showed clearly...
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Galleries: Rezac Gallery – Conceptual Relationships

Galleries: Rezac Gallery – Conceptual Relationships

Rezac Gallery, a space devoted to avant-garde jewelry and decorative arts, opened in May, 1988 on West Superior Street in...
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The Representation in Contemporary Metals

The Representation in Contemporary Metals

My recollection of the first piece of metalwork I owned is of a pin consisting of two poodles connected by...
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The Work of Darcy Miro

The Work of Darcy Miro

Artist Darcy Mire takes the term 'precious jewelry' and turns it on its head. Her careworn cuffs, rings, and neckpieces,...
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Getting to Know Gregore Morin

Getting to Know Gregore Morin

This article is an interview with jewelry designer Gregore Morin. Read on to get his insights and genius behind his...
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Galleries: Galerie RA

Galleries: Galerie RA

In October 1986, Amsterdam's Galeria RA will mark its tenth anniversary in the forefront of Europe's experimental jewelry movement. To...
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1984 Jewelry International Exhibition

1984 Jewelry International Exhibition

With the exception of "New Departures in Jewellery," held at the American Craft Museum last summer as part of the...
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Jim Dailing Crafts Sentimental “Story Rings”

Jim Dailing Crafts Sentimental “Story Rings”

Custom designer Jim Dailing of Bend, Oregon, has been making jewelry for 30 years. For a brief stint during the...
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1982 Sculptural Jewelry Exhibition

1982 Sculptural Jewelry Exhibition

Sculptural Jewelry ‘82 Contemporary Artisans Gallery, San Francisco October 27-November 20, 1982 Under the theme "Sculptural Jewelry '82" Contemporary Artisans...
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Charles Lewton-Brain Exhibition

Charles Lewton-Brain Exhibition

A goldsmith, not only a jeweler, Charles Lewton-Brain exhibits the competence and traditional skills accumulated through studies at the Nova...
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Jewellery in Transition

Jewellery in Transition

In early 1983 a call for entry was sent out across Canada for submissions to a multimedia, nonprecious jewellery exhibition...
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Metalsmith ’85 Spring: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’85 Spring: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases the various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1985 Spring issue of...
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Chinese Freshwater Pearls

Chinese Freshwater Pearls

When Chinese freshwater pearls began flooding the market several years ago, craft artists took notice. It is not that pearls...
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Cufflinks Making a Comeback

Cufflinks Making a Comeback

Although it can do two things at once - combine form and function - cufflinks disappeared from the world of...
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John Prip/Jack Prip: Arrangements of Changeable Form

John Prip/Jack Prip: Arrangements of Changeable Form

This past year, we were treated to a major retrospective of the work of John Prip in an exhibition that...
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Paul Robilotti – Renaissance Collection

Paul Robilotti – Renaissance Collection

Paul Robilotti of Robilotti Fine Jewelers in Binghamton, New York, doesn’t like to let inspiration pass him by. He always...
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Karen Mccreary – Mystifying Acrylic

Karen Mccreary – Mystifying Acrylic

McCreary is no stranger to traditional jewelry making. She took her first job with a jewelry manufacturer in the early...
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Linda Threadgill: Conceptualizing Ornament

Linda Threadgill: Conceptualizing Ornament

Threadgills keen interest in ornament undoubtedly arises from her longstanding practice of etching motifs into the surfaces of her works,...
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German Jewelry: Freedom Through Precision

German Jewelry: Freedom Through Precision

Mention German craftsmanship, and we think of diligent Black Forest elves making precision cameras and automobiles. Ordinarily, "precision" connotes accuracy,...
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Jewelry Repairs with ABI Mini Pulse Arc III

Jewelry Repairs with ABI Mini Pulse Arc III

This article covers routine repair and assembly projects accomplished using Mini Pulse Arc III. Tack-, fusion- and pulse-arc equipment settings...
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Echoes of Ancient Greece – Belle Brooke Barer

Echoes of Ancient Greece – Belle Brooke Barer

Belle Brooke Barer of Belle Brooke Designs in Los Angeles created a successful union when she brought together 18k yellow...
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2017 JCK Las Vegas Show Industry insights

2017 JCK Las Vegas Show Industry insights

The overarching theme in major presentations for the diamond and jewelry industry during the JCK Las Vegas Show in June...
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Barbara Heinrich on John Iversen’s Aesthetic

Barbara Heinrich on John Iversen’s Aesthetic

Editor’s Note: If we are what we eat, then are we whom we wear? While wearing your own jewelry designs...
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Jewelry Designs: Faceted Stones Pendant

Jewelry Designs: Faceted Stones Pendant

Welcome to Stacey Rhodes Jewelry Designs, where we will detail all of the steps involved in adding a new piece...
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Extra Setting Material for CAD Files

Extra Setting Material for CAD Files

When setting gemstones into castings that started life as CAD files, jewelers often complain that they don't have quite enough...
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The Work of ROY

The Work of ROY

Twenty first-century artists consider how best to relate to our changing world in a meaningful way. Pittsburgh artist ROY has...
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Leo Fried and Nanz Aalund – Siege of Herons

Leo Fried and Nanz Aalund – Siege of Herons

  Leo Fried and Nanz Aalund Blue Heron Jewelry Co. Poulsbo, Washington Responsible Practices Distinction Nanz Aalund was looking for...
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Metalsmith ’91 Fall: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’91 Fall: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1991 Fall issue of the...
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Vada Clark Beetler,  1929-1984

Vada Clark Beetler, 1929-1984

Vada Clark Beetler, designer craftsman in metal, passed away December 7, 1984. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Vada Beetler received...
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Tie Pins – Fashion Rediscovered

Tie Pins – Fashion Rediscovered

Like many decorative accessories, tie tacks exist because they have a practical function. The fabric, structure, and cut of the...
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Catherine and Michael Jensen – A Fitting Tribute

Catherine and Michael Jensen – A Fitting Tribute

It’s easy to name your favorite gemstone or metal to work in, but what if you had to name your...
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Tony Snodgrass: Flower Ring

Tony Snodgrass: Flower Ring

You never know how visiting the doctor could change your life. While Tony Snodgrass of Kent Jewelry in Rolla ,Missouri,...
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Bruce Metcalf: Between Darkness and Light

Bruce Metcalf: Between Darkness and Light

Bruce Metcalf's recent exhibition Between Darkness and Light thematically embraces and continues his ongoing concern with an anguished sensibility wedged...
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The Goldsmiths: Studio & Shop

The Goldsmiths: Studio & Shop

Reviving the virtually dead enameling technique plique-à-jour, which means "the light of day as seen through a membrane," has been...
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Jewelry Design: New York State Artists Exhibition

Jewelry Design: New York State Artists Exhibition

For the "Jewelry Design" show at the Johnson Museum of Art, Louise Porter, Coordinator of Crafts, selected both jewelry and...
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Metalsmith ’85 Fall: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’85 Fall: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases the various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1985 Fall issue of...
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Dyslexia: Tool or Trial

Dyslexia: Tool or Trial

I have long suspected that I have a great deal of "dyslexic" company in the arts. As more and more...
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Stuart Devlin Retrospective Exhibition

Stuart Devlin Retrospective Exhibition

Stuart Devlin's exhibition offered the viewer a feast, a visit to an Aladdin's cave. The exhibition celebrated 25 years of...
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Temple of the Sacred Heart

Temple of the Sacred Heart

Sometimes a design becomes more than the sum of its parts. Designer Cristopher Olson and master jeweler Paul Schaaf of...
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Ornamenta 1 : International Exhibition of Contemporary Jewelry

Ornamenta 1 : International Exhibition of Contemporary Jewelry

This article is an overview  and contain details for Ornamenta 1:  International Exhibition of Contemporary Jewelry held on September 30...
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Novell Design Studio

Novell Design Studio

At Novell Design Studio, efficiency, quality, and service get a jolt of passion You can hear the passion in Bruce...
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Production Jewelers: Design, Marketing and Business

Production Jewelers: Design, Marketing and Business

This is the fourth in a series of articles from Metalsmith about production jewelers: design, marketing and business. ************************* Business...
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Cybernetic Jewelry: A Systems Approach

Cybernetic Jewelry: A Systems Approach

We live in an age of rapid technological progress where the unthinkable becomes possible and the impossible becomes routine. Even...
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Fads and Fallacies: Post Modern Collection

Fads and Fallacies: Post Modern Collection

One of the heralded events in this year's ebb and flow of jewelry fashion was the arrival of the Cleto...
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The State of Metalsmithing and Jewelry

This article is a continuing dialogue on the State of Metalsmithing and Jewelry by Donald Friedlich and Judith Mitchell with ...
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A Conversation with John Marshall

A Conversation with John Marshall

John Marshall was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1936. After serving in the Armed Forces and doing construction work, Marshall...
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Michael David Sturlin Crochets with Gold

Michael David Sturlin Crochets with Gold

This crocheted necklace is created by weaving interlocking loops of 18k gold wire into a chain, using a needle. Because...
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Metalsmith ’90 Fall: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’90 Fall: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1990 Fall issue of the...
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Funk Art Jewelry

Funk Art Jewelry

In Objects: USA, the chapter on jewelry bears witness to the hallowed names of modern history. The collective effort of...
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Adel Chefridi: Homage

Adel Chefridi: Homage

We’re all nostalgic for something. Usually, it’s reminiscence from our childhood, as in Adel Chefridi’s case. Chefridi, owner of Adel...
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The Anatomy of Ornamenta 1

The Anatomy of Ornamenta 1

In this article, Marjan Unger describes what Ornamenta 1 means and is all about. It contains information when and how...
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Al Pine: Conceptual Exploration

Al Pine: Conceptual Exploration

Al Pine has been a fixture at Cal State Long Beach for over 25 years, where he teaches with Dieter...
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Virtuoso Symposium Exhibition

Virtuoso Symposium Exhibition

It is possible to practice medicine and do it very successfully and happily without much familiarity with or interest in...
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Etienne Perret Explores Gem Ceramic

Etienne Perret Explores Gem Ceramic

It's harder than steel, more durable than enamel, can be worn for years without scratching, and costs less than half...
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Michael David Sturlin’s Two Strand Crocheted Chain

Michael David Sturlin’s Two Strand Crocheted Chain

With the quartz as the central focal point of the "Reflecting Pond Necklace," Sturlin had to design a chain that...
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Gemstone Cutting Creates Freedom for Design

Gemstone Cutting Creates Freedom for Design

Difficult times are often good times for the unusual. The higher the hurdle that must be overcome to make clients...
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Jewelry Designs: Athena Pendant

Jewelry Designs: Athena Pendant

This gemstone-encrusted shield is named in honor of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and warfare who was worshiped as...
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Noël Yovovich – Seeing Titanium

Noël Yovovich – Seeing Titanium

Noel Yovovich discovered titanium in her first year as a jewelry artist. "A friend of mine was working with it...
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Louis Mueller: Synergistic Games

Louis Mueller: Synergistic Games

The confidential exploits of self-deception is the title of one of Louis Mueller's recent six-foot-high wall pieces. This paradoxical attitude...
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Making a Pearl and Diamond Ring

Making a Pearl and Diamond Ring

This illustration is of a 14-karat white gold ring for three cultured freshwater pearls and two small accent diamonds. After...
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The Work of Paul McClure

The Work of Paul McClure

Mounted in Paul McClure's silver pendant, Alveoli, are two pearls taken from a necklace his mother left him when she...
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The Enamelware of Sean Alton

The Enamelware of Sean Alton

My affair with precious metals began while working with my father a talented jeweler who worked with spring movement. He...
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Metalsmith ’91 Spring: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’91 Spring: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1991 Spring issue of the...
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The Cliche of Modern Art Appreciation

As art critic Lucy Lippard has observed: “The ‘ugly’ turning ‘beautiful’ in the public eye through a process of familiarity...
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The Founding Masters Exhibit

The Founding Masters Exhibit

The following is an excerpt from the text of the catalog of "The Founding Masters Exhibit", held at the Schick...
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Metalsmith ’89 Spring: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’89 Spring: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1989 Spring issue of the...
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CAD/CAM: Modeling Project in JewelSpace

CAD/CAM: Modeling Project in JewelSpace

CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing) is bringing a new efficiency and profitability to the jewelry workplace. Who is better...
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Van LeBus: Folk Artist

Van LeBus: Folk Artist

Naive, primitive, anonymous, magical are characteristics that often accompany our image of the folk artist. In reality, he is an...
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Tom Markusen: Holloware Maker with Integrity

Tom Markusen: Holloware Maker with Integrity

It may surprise some, judging from Tom Markusen studio output, that the production objects are handmade, without the use of...
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Objects in Space: Future Arena for Silversmiths

Objects in Space: Future Arena for Silversmiths

An object in space is exactly what the name implies, namely one which by design has left the company of...
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Susan Kingsley: Enlightened Embranglements

Susan Kingsley: Enlightened Embranglements

Susan Kingsley's work has involved a long, determined struggle with the role of a woman artist in the field of...
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John Iversen: Carved Color

John Iversen: Carved Color

Joseph Albers, a colorist par excellence, always said that in visual perception a color is almost never seen as it...
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Finding Inspiration with Marcia Budet

Finding Inspiration with Marcia Budet

Marcia Budet didn’t set out to be a jewelry designer. Although she grew up collecting rocks, crystals, and hematites, she...
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Art and Technics: Brooch Pin

Art and Technics: Brooch Pin

Often the paramount achievement of technical mastery is the ability to “remain invisible.” The virtuoso violinist is heralded less for...
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The Enamelware of Ben Caldwell

The Enamelware of Ben Caldwell

Ben Caldwell is a painter, copper and silver smith, musical instrument builder, and inventor. He trained at the Studio School...
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Recent Sightings: Metal Book Art

Recent Sightings: Metal Book Art

This article series from Metalsmith Magazine is named "Recent Sightings" and here Bruce Metcalf talks about art, craftmanship, design, the...
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The Enamelware of Leila Tai

The Enamelware of Leila Tai

Jewelry artist Leila Tai is renowned for her extraordinary one-of-a-kind pieces celebrating perfection in nature and for her masterful use...
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Master Metalsmith Dorothy Sturm

Master Metalsmith Dorothy Sturm

Entering the enameling studio, one is struck by its openness. Light fills the space. Shelves are lined with organic vessel...
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The Concept of Preciousness

The Concept of Preciousness

The very word PRECIOUS, the concept of PRECIOUSNESS is anathema to most contemporary artists, especially painters and sculptors, and perhaps...
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Master Metalsmith Robert Montgomery

Master Metalsmith Robert Montgomery

Robert Montgomery surrounds himself in a silent optimism that does not simply ignore adversity, but rises above it. His generous...
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Creative Thinking in the Arts

An Assessment of a Lecture Series and Panel Discussion at the Program in Artisanry of the Swain School of Design....
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The Jewelry of Vivienne Jones

The Jewelry of Vivienne Jones

"I make jewelry the way I draw," says Vivienne Jones. "That's one of the great thins about metal, you can...
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Projects of Exploration: Performance and Beyond

Projects of Exploration: Performance and Beyond

This is the second in a series of projects for students, created to provide a forum in Metalsmith for provocative...
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Designing Unique Jewelry

Designing Unique Jewelry

More and more jewelers are designing unique jewelry pieces for their clientele. One reason is the custom jewelry market is...
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The Enamelware of John Smith

The Enamelware of John Smith

This article showcases the selected works from the enamelist John Smith exhibition at Kaskaskia college. The exhibition took place March...
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June Schwarcz: The Malleable Vessel

June Schwarcz: The Malleable Vessel

Vessel and vesselmaking come the closet to establishing a universal language form; encompassing ceramic pots, holloware, fiber baskets, glass and...
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Adam Neeley – Alluring Curves

Adam Neeley – Alluring Curves

Adam Neeley Adam Neeley Fine Art Jewelry Laguna Beach, California First Place, Laser Distinction Look back over the list of...
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Gayle Saunders Exhibition

Gayle Saunders Exhibition

Of the various schools of thought about design, "less is more" has been one of the most enduring of the...
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Metalsmith ’89 Summer: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’89 Summer: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1989 Summer issue of the...
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Galleries: The Vo Galerie

Galleries: The Vo Galerie

This is the first in a series on galleries that specialize in jewelry and metalwork. The Vo Galerie is a...
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Ion Ionescu’s Mon Cheerie Ring

Ion Ionescu’s Mon Cheerie Ring

Mon Cheerie By Ion Ionescu. Winner. First Place, Evening Wear. 2012 AGTA Spectrum Awards. You could argue that a little...
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Metalsmith ’90 Spring: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’90 Spring: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1990 Winter issue of the...
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Metalsmith ’87 Winter: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’87 Winter: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1987 Winter issue of the...
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Joan Michlin: Current Metalsmithing

Joan Michlin: Current Metalsmithing

Celebrating its move to a new location, Creative Metalsmiths featured the slick art jewelry of Joan Michlin. Her futuristic style...
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Production Jewelers: How They Survive

Production Jewelers: How They Survive

From time to time, Metalsmith will locus a series of articles on a particular aspect of jewelers. Beginning in this...
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Jewels Made of Paper Bags

Jewels Made of Paper Bags

For a long time now in artisan jewelry work, all that glitters is not gold. Precious metals, diamonds, and pearls...
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Jonathan Bonner: Whimsy and Vision

Jonathan Bonner: Whimsy and Vision

Jonathan Bonner is a pleasant young man with a quick smile and an easygoing manner. If you saw him in...
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Genevieve Yang – Lunar Cycle Necklace

Genevieve Yang – Lunar Cycle Necklace

They say inspiration strikes when you least expect it. For designer Genevieve Yang of Santa Rosa, California, the inspiration for...
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Exhibition in Print: Metalsmiths Win The West

Exhibition in Print: Metalsmiths Win The West

Our "notice" calling all metalsmiths guilty of western influences to turn in photographs of their work may have led some...
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Leila Tai – Plique-a-jour Delight

Leila Tai – Plique-a-jour Delight

Leila Tai of New York City will be the first person to tell you that in order to take on...
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Projects of Exploration: Visual Intricacy

Projects of Exploration: Visual Intricacy

This is the fourth in a series of projects for students, created to provide a forum in Metalsmith for provocative...
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Metalsmith ’87 Winter: International Exhibitions

Metalsmith ’87 Winter: International Exhibitions

This article showcases various international exhibitions and competitions in the form of collected exhibition reports published in the 1987 Summer ...
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Komelia Hongja Okim Exhibition

Komelia Hongja Okim Exhibition

Translated into English, Korea means "chosen." Komelia Hongja Okim, a native of Korea, has faced a great many consequential choices...
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Metalsmith ’89 Winter: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’89 Winter: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1989 Winter issue of the...
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Metalsmith ’88 Winter: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’88 Winter: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1988 Winter issue of the...
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Platinum Bridal Jewelry

If you have never manufactured with platinum and you think that you are ready, if you manufacture with platinum, but...
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Austrian Jewelers Exhibition

Austrian Jewelers Exhibition

All five artists in this 5 Austrian Jewelers show were trained at the Hochschüle für angewandte Kunst in Vienna. While...
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Process Oriented Metal Education

Art school is in some ways a difficult place to learn to be a metalsmith. Traditionally, it took industry from...
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Modes of Working with Jewelry

This short paper offers a set of names to describe how the jewellery metals field is made up in terms...
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Ricardo Basta – Top Flight

Ricardo Basta – Top Flight

Ricardo Basta Ricardo Basta Fine Jewelry Los Angeles First Place, CAD/CAM Distinction Ricardo Basta believes in melding traditional jewelry-making techniques...
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Mac McCall: Wizard of Ambiguity

Mac McCall: Wizard of Ambiguity

Mac McCall is a Western shaman, or, as Elizabeth Sasser claims, a wizard of ambiguity. In this focus, she offers...
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Harlan Butt: Garden Anagogies

Harlan Butt: Garden Anagogies

Strictly speaking, the metalworker's contribution to the Japanese tea ceremony is confined primarily to the teakettle. This accoutrement traditionally has...
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Design Material Alternatives

Expanding the boundaries of conventional jewelry design through the use of unusual materials -- Titanium, Niobium, Copper, Metal clay, Acrylic,...
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Color Stories Designing Around a Dynamic Opal

Color Stories Designing Around a Dynamic Opal

'I show you an opal. You show me a design.' That was the deal I struck with the three willing...
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Cross-Sectional Critique

Cross-Sectional Critique

This article is a  Cross-Sectional Critique of applying clipping planes to model manufacturability written by Darla Alvarez of GIA Jewelry...
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1985 SNAG Conference Review

The statement below could well have been made by many individuals upon reflection on their friends and colleagues. But in...
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Janice Kluge: Metalwork and Sculpture

Janice Kluge: Metalwork and Sculpture

Janice Kluge's exhibition of metalwork and sculpture at the Birmingham Museum of Art was small in scale but rich in...
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The Jewelry of Tamara Sergijenko

The Jewelry of Tamara Sergijenko

What fun for me to reminisce about our early friendship: Tamara Sergijenko from Tallin, Estonia and I from middle America!...
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CAD Craft In Ron Litolff’s Ring

CAD Craft In Ron Litolff’s Ring

To create a new ring to showcase the beauty of a customer's sentimental diamonds, Knoxville, Tennesseebased jeweler Ron Litolff of...
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Jewelry Designs: Titan Pendant

Jewelry Designs: Titan Pendant

Welcome to Stacey Rhodes Jewelry Designs, where we will detail all of the steps involved in adding a new piece...
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Metalwork: A National Invitational Exhibition

Metalwork: A National Invitational Exhibition

This show provided an overview of some of the new directions and esthetic concerns of metalsmiths in the 1980s. Curated...
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Metalsmith ’89 Fall: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’89 Fall: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1989 Fall issue of the...
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Curtis LaFollette Exhibition

Curtis LaFollette Exhibition

From the very cover of the announcement brochure, one sensed the struggles and conflicts represented in the work in this...
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Galleries: Concepts Gallery

Galleries: Concepts Gallery

"American jewelry has come into its own," says Concepts Gallery owner Doug Steakley. "lt has really matured. . . My...
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Deborah Aguado: Use of Image and Enigma in Jewelry

Deborah Aguado: Use of Image and Enigma in Jewelry

Stone, metal and space compose the careful balance in Deborah Aguado's work. Her first geometric formalisms constructed in metal were...
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Made in the USA 2017

Made in the USA 2017

MADE IN THE USA: Where We Stand is an update on the jewelry industry’s efforts to promote homegrown products. It...
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Getting to know Mark Schneider

Getting to know Mark Schneider

This article is an interview with jewelry designer Mark Schneider. Read on to get his insights and genius behind his...
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All That Glitters Exhibition

All That Glitters Exhibition

"All That Glitters," the first national competitive exhibition of fine art glass and jewelry in Arizona, featured the work of...
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Ryan Roberts’ First CAD Design

Ryan Roberts’ First CAD Design

When all sides of a dangle earring are beautiful, choosing the side to face front can be problematic. Ryan Roberts...
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Fads and Fallacies: Pocket Knives

Fads and Fallacies: Pocket Knives

The term fashion does not immediately bring to mind knives. But wait! The 1895 Montgomery Ward & Co. catalog offered...
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Barbara Heinrich: Casual Perfection

Barbara Heinrich: Casual Perfection

The textured surfaces of Barbara Heinrich's gold jewelry deceive with their simplicity. At first glance, they clearly appear to be...
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Art and Technics: Superstitious Beliefs

This article is one of a series of articles from Metalsmith Magazine “Art and Technics” talking about techniques in craftsmanship...
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Phillip Voetsch’s Jewelry Design Process

Phillip Voetsch’s Jewelry Design Process

Phillip Voetsch is an accomplished designer and master level bench jeweler, he began using 3D CAD/CAM technology 3 1/2 years...
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Lin Stanionis: Chalices for Transubstanian

Lin Stanionis: Chalices for Transubstanian

The focus of Lin Stanionis' work for the last three years has been in exploring the implications inherent in the...
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The Orange Necklace by Chihiro Makio

The Orange Necklace by Chihiro Makio

One of the more difficult challenges Chihiro Makio of 314 Studio in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, faced when creating her Orange...
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Observations on Miniature Sculptures

Observations on Miniature Sculptures

When Lewis Carroll wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, he modeled his narrative on fairy tales and used nonsense as a...
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Projects of Exploration: The Art and Science of Line

Projects of Exploration: The Art and Science of Line

This is the third in a series of projects for students, created to provide a forum in Metalsmith for provocative...
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Mark Jordan: Hero with a Thousand Eyes

Mark Jordan: Hero with a Thousand Eyes

The Transparency Theory has long maintained an indomitable position at the core of any philosophy of art. Simply expressed, the...
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Customized Stock Earrings

Customized Stock Earrings

This project features a stock pair of earrings that are customized for cultured pearls. The request was to design earrings...
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Metalsmith ’90 Winter: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’90 Winter: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1990 Winter issue of the...
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Monumentality On Scale and Sculpture

Monumentality On Scale and Sculpture

As a moviegoer in the 1950s and 60s. I watched intently as insects and crustaceans were transformed into gargantuan monsters...
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Jenny Reeves’ Layered Ring

Jenny Reeves’ Layered Ring

Although a Philadelphia native, designer Jenny Reeves loves her adopted city of San Francisco. When a local jewelry organization held...
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Body Art Exhibition

Body Art Exhibition

"Body Art Exhibition," an exhibition sponsored by Security Pacific Corporation, on view from September 8 to October 21, 1990, was...
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Bladed Sargasso Server by Andy Cooperman

Bladed Sargasso Server by Andy Cooperman

Andy Cooperman's Sargasso Server, a contemporary sterling silver fish slice, evokes life in the sea. The blade resembles a squid's...
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2 Tips for a Successful Jewelry Collection

2 Tips for a Successful Jewelry Collection

In times of increased price competition and global producers, cooperation with designers is also an important factor for large jewelry...
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Mary V. Smith – Burning Brightly

Mary V. Smith – Burning Brightly

A mesmerizing flame melting spectacularly colored glass into a perfect bead. The possibilities of infinite shapes and sizes. The beautiful...
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Japanese Esthetics on American Crafts

Japanese Esthetics on American Crafts

Undeniably, American crafts of the 20th century have been influenced by Japanese esthetics. From raku to mokumé, American crafts would...
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Metalsmith ’91 Winter: Exhibition Reviews

Metalsmith ’91 Winter: Exhibition Reviews

This article showcases various exhibitions in the form of collected exhibition reviews published in the 1991 Winter issue of the...
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1989 SNAG Conference Review

1989 SNAG Conference Review

"What's in it for me?" is probably the thought of each SNAG member when the information on the annual conference...
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Erik Stewart – Inspired by the Brooklyn Bridge

Erik Stewart – Inspired by the Brooklyn Bridge

It was his first time in New York City. Surrounded by the skyscrapers and bright lights of the Big Apple,...
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The Work of John Marshall

The Work of John Marshall

The success of John Marshall's art, as a practicing metalsmith, was evident in this impressive exhibition. Held in conjunction with...
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Alexandra Hart – Crowning Achievement

Alexandra Hart – Crowning Achievement

Putting a spin on tradition, Alexandra Hart of Alexandra Hart in San Diego crafted Broollopskronan, or Bridal Crown, a regal...
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From CAD to Jewelry

From CAD to Jewelry

Although jewelry design by goldsmiths and designers is characterized by unique pieces, unlike the industrial production of jewelry, ever greater...
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Fads and Fallacies: Fashion

Fads and Fallacies: Fashion

This column is about fashion. I have been writing it for a couple of years now, still with some trepidation....
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An Interview with Garth Clark

In September of 1988, the CDK Galleries opened their doors. Partners Garth Clark, Mark Del Vecchio and Wayne Kuwada presented...
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Design for the Way Things Are: Survey of Ideas

Design for the Way Things Are: Survey of Ideas

New Jewelry Ideas from Other Realms of Experience “Meaning brings form with it; form is never without meaning” Johann Wolfgang...
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Fads and Fallacies: Fashion Fads

Fads and Fallacies: Fashion Fads

This article is one of a series of articles from Metalsmith Magazine "Fads and Fallacies".  For this 1987 Winter, A....
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Sphearrings: From Concept to Market

One of the newest earring findings to hit the market is showing a little earlobe midriffand it could turn the...
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Katy Briscoe – Creating Raj

Katy Briscoe – Creating Raj

One February at the Tucson gem shows, inspiration took flight for Katy Briscoe of Katy Briscoe Inc. in Houston. "I...
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Jewelry Designs: Steeplechase Pendant

Jewelry Designs: Steeplechase Pendant

As a traditional symbol of good luck, this piece is inspired by the horseshoe. It is dedicated to the power...
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Circus, Circus Ring By Pierre-Yves Paquette

Circus, Circus Ring By Pierre-Yves Paquette

Children and adults alike enjoy the spectacle of the circus. For jewelry designer Pierre-Yves Paquette of Pierre-Yves in Saint-Sauveur, Quebec,...
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Kai Chan: Lines of Communication

Kai Chan: Lines of Communication

Coming to terms with the work of Kai Chan is not so much a matter of definition as of communication....
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Ring by Cynthia Renée Zava

Ring by Cynthia Renée Zava

With textures that echo the Patagonian mountains of Chile, the Torres del Paine Ring by Cynthia Rene Zava of Cynthia...
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Projects of Exploration: Honor Something Ordinary

Projects of Exploration: Honor Something Ordinary

This is the fifth in a series of projects for students. These projects were created to provide a forum in...
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Recent Sightings: Designer-Craftsman

Recent Sightings: Designer-Craftsman

This article series from Metalsmith Magazine is named "Recent Sightings" and here Bruce Metcalf talks about art, craftmanship, design, the...
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1990 SNAG Conference Review

1990 SNAG Conference Review

This article is a review by Betsy Douglas of the 1990 SNAG Conference held in San Francisco, CA on March...
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Alishan Halebian’s Imperfect Perfection

Alishan Halebian’s Imperfect Perfection

Alishan Halebian’s sphere is a metaphor for light and life. Beginning with the concept of a sphere, Alishan Halebian of...
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1988 SNAG 20th Anniversary Conference

What is the purpose of a SNAG conference? Why do people come? What are their expectations? Why do some cease...
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Creative Imagination – Undeveloped Resource

Creative Imagination – Undeveloped Resource

In 1959, Victor Papanek gave the third-year students in his creative engineering seminar at Ontario College of Art this problem:...
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The Future of American Crafts

American crafts are under-going self-examination. Expressed in countless ways, varying from anxiety to optimism, the observation that the field is...
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Dan Feldman: Allegory of Love

Dan Feldman: Allegory of Love

Dan Feldman uses the utensil as both object and idea. Consequently, his work reveals both personal history and associations with...
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Jewelry Designs: Maya Pendant

Jewelry Designs: Maya Pendant

Welcometo Stacey Rhodes Jewelry Designs, where we will detail all of the steps involved in adding a new piece ofjewelry...
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The Practice of American Craft

The practice of American craft is set against the larger phenomenon of industrialization: every aspect of craft compares to and...
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Art and Technics: Materials

Art and Technics: Materials

This article is one of a series of articles from Metalsmith Magazine “Art and Technics” talking about techniques in craftsmanship...
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Fads and Fallacies: First Impressions

Fads and Fallacies: First Impressions

As trite as it might sound, we still form our opinions about people as a result of "first impressions." In...
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Jewelry Designs: Hope Pendant

Jewelry Designs: Hope Pendant

Welcome to Stacey Rhodes Jewelry Designs, where we will detail all of the steps involved in adding a new piece...
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Recent Sightings: Defining Jewelry

Recent Sightings: Defining Jewelry

This article series from Metalsmith Magazine is named “Recent Sightings” and here Bruce Metcalf talks about art, craftmanship, design, the...
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1984 SNAG Conference Review

On the second day of the 1984 Society of North American Goldsmith's conference held in June in New York City,...
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Artists Who Write

Artists Who Write

Not until the last century did the malicious and false concept arise that artists—painters, sculptors, printmakers—were anti-intellectuals. During the Renaissance...
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Learning Metalwork from Shumei Tanaka

Learning Metalwork from Shumei Tanaka

I stood on Kawaramachi Street in downtown Kyoto. Kyoto, capital of Japan, home of the emperor from 794 to 1868,...
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Art and Technics: Broaching Subjects

Art and Technics: Broaching Subjects

This article is one of a series of articles from Metalsmith Magazine “Art and Technics” talking about techniques in craftsmanship...
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Fads and Fallacies: Melancholic Designs

Fads and Fallacies: Melancholic Designs

This article is one of a series of articles from Metalsmith Magazine "Fads and Fallacies".  For this 1987 Fall, A....
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Jewelry Designs: Grace Pendant

Jewelry Designs: Grace Pendant

The Grace Pendant was designed specially for the Heart Gala, a benefit for the American Heart Association that Stacey and...
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Recent Sightings: Gender Related Nature of Jewelry Designs

This article series from Metalsmith Magazine is named "Recent Sightings" where Bruce Metcalf talks about art, craftmanship, design, the artists,...
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Ambiguous Visions of Louise Norrell

Ambiguous Visions of Louise Norrell

It's hard to think of a comparison. While I can haphazardly categorize today's non jewelry metalsmithing as either traditional holloware...
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Jewelry Designs: Sisters Pendant

Jewelry Designs: Sisters Pendant

Sisterhood, however you define it, is the strongest bond. Best friends, mothers and daughters, your own sisters, or anyone very...
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Art and Technics: Supplies and Materials

Art and Technics: Supplies and Materials

This article is one of a series of articles from Metalsmith Magazine “Art and Technics” talking about techniques in craftsmanship...
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M. Avigail Upin: Current Work Exhibition

M. Avigail Upin: Current Work Exhibition

M. Avigail Upin's carefully constructed work displays a cool and impeccable cleanness of style, with silver the dominant material. Her...
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CAD/CAM: Creating a Class Ring – Part 2

CAD/CAM: Creating a Class Ring – Part 2

These step-by-step instruction manual guides the process (see procedure for making the class ring). With a core product to produce,...
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Recent Sightings Artlike Jewelry

This article series from Metalsmith Magazine is named “Recent Sightings” where Bruce Metcalf talks about art, craftmanship, design, the artists,...
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Art and Technics: Color

Art and Technics: Color

Unless you've been living in a cave for the past five years, you are aware of the current interest in...
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2008 Enamel Foundation Conference

2008 Enamel Foundation Conference

Our second conference was a success! The conference started promptly at 9 a.m., August 18 - a beautiful sunny day....
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Jewelry Designs: Raindrops Pendant

Jewelry Designs: Raindrops Pendant

Welcome to Stacey Rhodes Jewelry Designs, where we will detail all of the steps involved in adding a new piece...
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The Goldsmith & The Grape Exhibition

The Goldsmith & The Grape Exhibition

I thought this was a dazzling exhibition, even before I had a glass of wine. It was definitely a step...
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Art and Technics: Act of Technique

Art and Technics: Act of Technique

This article is one of a series of articles from Metalsmith Magazine “Art and Technics” talking about techniques in craftsmanship...
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Christine Clark and Dennis Leudeman Exhibition

Christine Clark and Dennis Leudeman Exhibition

This exhibition of two sculptors at the Merritt Gallery constituted the first major showing of work by either artist. An...
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The Economics of Ornamenta 1

The Economics of Ornamenta 1 is a letter by Dr. Joachim Becker, Mayor of the City of Pforzheim, stating what...
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Conversations on Technology

Conversations on Technology

Conversations on Technology happened during a couple of cold winter evenings, Stanley Lechtzin and Michael Dunas examined ideas raised at...
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4 Key Jewelry Trends 2015

4 Key Jewelry Trends 2015

Amid the holiday craziness that will be descending on the industry this month, it’s important to take time and give...
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The Art of Conversation

The Art of Conversation

Many people I know romanticize an afternoon in a cage in a cultural mecca - maybe Paris or Rome -...
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Fads and Fallacies: Art is Life

Fads and Fallacies: Art is Life

This article is one of a series of articles from Metalsmith Magazine “Fads and Fallacies”.  For this 1987 Spring issue, ...
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Fads and Fallacies: Modelling Fashion

Fads and Fallacies: Modelling Fashion

This article is one of a series of articles from Metalsmith Magazine “Fads and Fallacies”.  For this 1989 Summer, A....
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Recent Sightings: Jewelry Teachers

This article series from Metalsmith Magazine is named “Recent Sightings” and here Bruce Metcalf talks about art, craftmanship, design, the...
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An Interview with Metalsmith Kelly Jean Conroy

An Interview with Metalsmith Kelly Jean Conroy

Kelly Jean Conroy discusses her approach to metalsmithing, jewelry art, and education. Learn what her Video Series on Ganoksin offers....
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An Interview with Milt Fischbein

An Interview with Milt Fischbein

Jeweler Milt Fischbein explains his approach to teaching filigree techniques. Learn what he's planning in his upcoming videos and workshops....
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