[Jewelry making - Article 00115] - Re: [Orchid] Employment frustration

[John Donivan]

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>     I think part of the problem, too, is that there's a disconnect
>     between the jewelry industry and art jewelry. One head hunter even
>     asked me, "Well, since most of your experience is with art jewelry
>     I guess that means you don't have any experience with precious
>     stones?" 

    I think that you nailed your employment problems when you said that
    you are now noticeably pregnant. Probably not so much medical as that
    you are going to be leaving within months for some time, etc. 

    I've been pondering how to address your statement above, though,
    without riling people too much. I think it's an important question,
    though. I am, and have always been, a "trade" jeweler. For 30 years I
    have been a "fine" jeweler, one-time union officer, etc. I will be
    first to realize that there is no black and white - I use any method
    that gets the job done, myself. I think I can tell you the trade's
    perspective, though. Fine jewelry making is sculpture (yes, I do know
    that any ring is "sculpture"). It is modeled and crafted in 3d, most
    of the time. That which many call "Art" jewelry is often either wax
    work or sheet metal work, or components assembled together - stacked,
    if you will. What I'm talking about is if one walks into a gallery
    and looks in the cases, they'll see some ring and say, "Look, they
    took a piece of sheet metal, artfully curled up one corner and put a
    texture, and then soldered an artfully textured circle of metal onto
    it. What I'm saying, you see, is that we don't stock sheet metal, we
    don't stock wire, we don't stock sizing stock. We buy 24kt. from
    foreign exchange, solder and findings as needed. Everything is done
    from scratch. I tend to think of goldsmithing as clay, the other side
    of the coin is to think of it as tinker toys - pieces to be stuck
    together. If one thinks of wire as lines, and sheets as planes, then
    it is actually 2d. Sticking them together artfully makes it 3d on the
    basic level, but they are still 2d shapes. Fine jewelry at it's best
    is sculpture. Everybody uses wax sometimes, but what I'm saying is
    that where someone will solder a piece of 2mm wire and call it a
    prong, I will solder a 3mm wire and contour and carve it into a shape
    and then call it a prong. The wire is not a prong, it's carving 
rough.
    A cluster setting of 12 diamonds around a center stone begins life as
    thick sheet metal, and by the time it is done it's unrecognizable as
    being such - it is literally a carving. And that's what a trade
    goldsmith really is - a sculptor in miniature in gold. So- We are
    likely going to an "Art Jewelry" opening tonight for the book "500
    Bracelets". We will see much arty jewelry, enjoy it very much, and
    have a wonderful time. But when you go to a trade shop and apply for
    a job, and say you are an "Art Jeweler", they can and might have an
    image of Lego blocks in their mind. And when they say, "Our work is
    crafted," which brings some to say, "What, mine's not?", exchange the
    word "modeled" for "crafted" and it will make more sense. There are
    two lessons here, in what has become an essay... First is that you
    can do what you can do, and any foreman worth working for will look 
at
    least a bit. Categorizing yourself as an Art Jeweler is unnecessary
    anyway, I think. And if you can retip and shank and set and assemble
    and have some experience with platinum, then calling yourself that is
    untrue, anyway, in the way I talked about above. Shops are looking
    for skill sets, not labels, and you have, or don't have, whatever
    that is in you. And that's related to part 2: If you make truly art
    jewelry, and walk into a fine shop, what you are doing is saying,
    "I'm a baker and you're a butcher, got a job for me?" There is a shop
    somewhere for anyone who wants to be in an "Art Jewelry Shop" - many
    people have employees making production. Finding them is the
    beginning. But if you want to bridge that gap, do some sort of trade
    work, break into "The Jewelry Industry" (of which Art Jewelry is a
    part already) you need to be able to do the work that they want to
    pay for - they want to be certain that your skill set matches their
    business plan, of course. And if you are truly skilled someone will
    snatch you up - They're not stupid.. All I need to do is give you a
    task and watch you and the bench for 10 minutes, and I'll know
    everything you are about. I don't have a resume - I never have. I've
    just looked up the shops in the phone book, knocked on the door
    (manufacturers, not retailers) and said, "I'm a jeweler, looking for
    work." 

http://www.donivanandmaggiora.com
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