[Jewelry making - Article 00268] - Re: [Orchid] Technology & Design

[Kenneth Ferrell]

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>     I have to say that general jewelry making skills plummeted after
>     the introduction of casting!

    I agree since the Macedonians first cast pieces in the Chalcolithic
    period roughly 3500 BC. things have gotten worse, look at all that
    shoddily done work found in the great Pyramid, of course this was
    1000 years after the first castings were done which were several
    crowns a few cups and a bunch of mace heads, Now when compared to
    older works such as the Shandair pendant which is dated 9500 BC and
    was hand crafted, (a pendant made from a piece of native copper
    pounded by hand with rocks) of course there have been earlier cast
    objects found such as a copper mace head that was cast in a mold
    found in Anatolia (Turkey) it dates about 5000 BC. I'll bet the
    Egyptian goldsmiths whined and cried foul when they saw some of the
    ornamentation worn by the Roman Legions, I think they were whining
    because they had not developed the same level of technology, I will
    grant that over the past 30 years I have been involved in the trade I
    have seen an amazing technology advancement, and I try and embrace
    it as any new tool that makes my work easier, faster and better,
    Remember; the ancient craftsman had no Fordom, no ready made
    planishing hammers, no easily replaceable files, no polishing lathes,
    and I can see all of you now sitting in front of your oil lamp with a
    blow pipe , (NOT) These are all technological advances but the
    naysayer's  don't seem to be too much against any of those marvels of
    technology, Folks it's just another tool, that's all  CAD-CAM is just
    another tool. I'll bet a lot of you don't even like your computers,
    and had to nearly be dragged kicking and screaming into the computer
    store, I think that if you haven't tried it you shouldn't condemn it.
    By the way I'm not quite ready to toss out all my primitive hand
    tools just yet either; they are still quality tools and get used 

Kenneth Ferrell


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