[Jewelry making - Article 00082] - Re: [Orchid] Definition of Master Jeweller

[Thejewelmaker]

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    Hired a young jeweller in his mid 20s who had left his unfinished
    apprenticeship at 19 to work in a jewellery store, my partner at
    that time said to me afterwards that the boy (who had been his
    apprentice at Tiffany's) was never going to be a jeweller. He was now
    too old to develop the hands and eyes that would make him a master.
    He worked for us well for a few years, learnt a lot, but his
    development had stopped. He will never be a master. 

    Had a jeweller, he was incredible at fine work, without hesitation I
    can tell you that some of the most beautiful pieces ever to leave my
    studio were finished and assembled by him. He was meticulous, very
    slow, very careful and with the best hands and eye for finished work
    that I have ever seen, He could sculpt beautifully. But invent, bring
    a new idea into existence, make a tool, develop a new mechanical
    mechanism or expand his skills repertory, impossible. He will never
    be a master.

    Had a jeweller, 76 years old at the bench, ex Cartier in Paris, ex
    Harry Winston's in New York, ex Mikimoto in New York. Couldn't speak
    English. I would carefully explain a new design to him and get claro,
    claro in return and then he would make what ever he wanted.
    Frustrating. Someone said to me that at Winston's he had spent months
    making all of the components for a large necklace before leaving on
    vacation, In his absence the shop foreman attempted to assemble it,
    but couldn't. Three weeks later Ricardo returned and assembled the
    piece in a week. Perfect. He was a master. 

    Had a Jeweller, 13 years at Winston's, Good jeweller, Worked well,
    but couldn't grasp new ideas. He will never be a master. 

    Had a jeweller, Hungarian, apprenticed to his uncle at 13,
    everything they made was for the church. Uncle said they were making
    important religious Relics that had to last 1,000 years. Later
    invented an exploding rivet for industrial sheet metal work, in the
    army invented, made and installed heat sinks for Russian mobile radar
    trucks so that he wouldn't have to go to Jump School, Escaped to
    Austria during the revolution. Worked in France as a jeweller, Moved
    to New York, did development work and was Shop Forman for a
    successful Jewellery house. Retired, joined Heidelberg as a printing
    press technician. Said that he was fascinated by either very large
    complexity or very small marvels. He was a gunsmith, watchmaker, and
    machinist, all around master craftsman. Nothing was too complex for
    him to understand and invent a tool or process for, Said that
    jewellery work is like playing chess, you had to think ahead. We
    worked together for 10 years. Georges was a master. 

    I've known master jewellers. I've known excellent Journeymen
    jewellers, I've known master polishers, master casters, master
    diamond setters, master engravers, but the master jewellers had
    something special. 

    When a craftsman can take an original design for a sophisticated
    necklace with hundreds of tightly fitted component parts, with
    original ideas for locks and movement and visualize in him mind's eye
    everything that he is going to have to make and assemble in a complex
    sequence of creation. When he then reaches for some metal and begins,
    and when months later the piece is finished and everything is better
    then you expected, you have seen a master perform. 

    It can be a humbling experience. 

Dennis Smith - Jewelmaker
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