[Jewelry making - Article 00823] - Re: [Orchid] Article: Minimal Metalsmithing

[Lisa Gallagher]

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    Carla, I'm not adamantly opposed to stamping something as metal
    clay, the reason I doubted its need is because it is fine silver, and
    the stamping is just to tell what the metal content is. This is a new
    animal, though, in that it's a metal, yes, it is fine silver, yes,
    but it's created in a very different way. If it is indeed true that
    it needs to be treated differently than "regular" fine silver in
    repairs, then I think it makes sense to differentiate it. Is that
    really the case, though? I have not tried to solder on it, and I
    suppose I should make an effort in light of this discussion, but it
    seems lots of other people have, and haven't had any trouble with it.
    If when it's properly used, properly fired, it can be repaired just
    as usual, why worry about marking it differently just because of
    those people out there who don't know how to use it correctly? To
    me, that's putting an unneeded stigma on the material, bringing up
    concerns where they're not needed. I'm sure there are examples to be
    found of inferior pieces being made with more traditional materials &
    methods, and them causing a headache in the repair shop. Isn't it
    possible to do a casting that's inferior as well? Castings aren't
    stamped differently, though. 

    When I sell a piece, I include a card with it that tells about how
    that specific piece was made, what the materials are, etc. If a
    customer is looking at a piece at a show, I tell the them with what
    it was made, and what techniques were used, whether it be clay or
    anything else. I think the clay is a neat new material, and I'm happy
    to tell people that I use it. I'm sure it's frustrating when people
    ask about your etched pieces, are they the clay, but I'd view it as
    an opportunity to educate your customers as to the techniques that
    were really used, explain to them all the work that went into
    creating that piece. Your real customers will appreciate learning
    that. When people see beads or cabs in my work that were created
    with polymer clay, they assume it's painted. I make sure to educate
    them about the material, telling them that no paints were used, it's
    all an intricate little creation with multiple colors of clay. I find
    most people that would be happy buying a hand made piece are also
    happy to learn about how it was made, it helps them connect with the
    piece. That's why I like the cards I do, and the customers are always
    very pleased to get that information. It seems they aren't accustomed
    to getting that from other artists, although I know others do it, I
    guess just not a lot. 

    You know, people can ask questions about any material, even the ones
    that seem plainly obvious. I did a show a couple weeks ago where
    people kept asking me what kind of stone was in a particular
    necklace. And they were really asking about it as "stone", not using
    that as a generic thing to mean the type of material. It was a piece
    with 9 fused glass cabs, alternating small green square/circle inside
    a larger blue square, and the others the exact opposite. Um, that
    would be a pretty cool stone that did that! Without making them feel
    foolish, I informed them the "stones" were glass. Some just weren't
    sure, and just asked to confirm they were glass. But several people
    really thought they might be some sort of cool gemstone. So, when
    people mistake one technique for another, or one material for
    another, use it as a educating opportunity, don't be put off by it
    (as hard as that may be sometimes). By the way, here's a link to that
    piece that people thought was stone...
    http://www.lisagallagher.com/d2070505.htm

    That's some cool rock, eh? ;-) 

Lisa
Designs by Lisa Gallagher
www.lisagallagher.com

 
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