[Jewelry making - Article 00196] - Re: [Orchid] Employment in the Metal arts/Jewelery Field

[andy cooperman]

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Michael,

    Perhaps the best technical education that I received was the one
    that I got from sitting behind the bench at jewelry stores and trade
    shops. As Nanz wrote, sitting next to a master or experienced
    craftsman is invaluable. The skills--repair, setting, etc.-- and the
    tricks and general mindset just can't be found elsewhere. (Although I
    don't see the "slamming" that the bench jewelers are getting on the
    forum: The ire seems to be directed more towards the "Art Jewelers".) 

    Until recently, I considered this type of bench education one of the
    best ways to accumulate the skills required to make work-- any work,
    from Art jewelry of the kind found in "500" books to the sleek pieces
    offered up in glossy magazines. What I have recently come to realize,
    at least in my experience, is that this type of education can bite
    you in the butt if you're not careful. 

    Years of working behind the bench producing work that is well
    designed and well made is gratifying. But I've found that it can
    leave you with what I've come to call "Imperial Conditioning" (some
    turn of phrase memory from "Dune"). Besides being well made, this
    type of work is by nature "wearable" and "marketable". Even after
    you've left the environment and gone on to do your own--perhaps
    "artsy"-- thing, the "Imperial Conditioning" can rear its head and
    enter into decision making scenarios in unexpected ways. It can, in
    the extreme, in the name of safety change the direction of a piece.
    While this can certainly be a good thing, the other side of that
    sword is less remarkable work. 

    I don't wish to initiate a thread about wearability or the true
    nature of jewelry or reopen the whole "500" conversation or comments
    about "Awt". Those of you who know my work or have taken workshops
    with me, hopefully, know how I feel about durability, integrity of
    idea and the quality of craftsmanship. I have total and complete
    respect for bench jewelers of all stripes. I still believe that an
    education at the bench and in the trade is one of the best that you
    can have and is one that is widely applicable. 

    My caveat, though, is that one should be sure use it to their
    benefit, channel it to whatever direction excites them while at the
    same never allowing it to steer the ship too far from where you want
    to go. 

Take care, Andy Cooperman
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