If you are reading this, I hope you came to my blog because you have decided that having a career in the jewelry trade might be fun and interesting.I have no idea what you think you will find here. I also am not sure what you need to hear so all I can do is try to connect with written words and try to point you in a good direction using my own experiences as a model. So we quickly circle back to the original question. “How do I start?“ I should begin with how I started as a jeweler.As…
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Below is the description that I share to let people know what I do as a Jewelry Educator.I felt it might be wise to look at this statement, “deconstruct” it and expand on it so you can see my reasoning for writing what I did. it has a lot to talk about and even more importantly, think about.My statement: As a Jewelry Educator, I strive to blend historical and modern methods of jewelry design and metalwork via lectures, teaching, and hands on learning in a variety of traditional and contemporary materials and processes. I teach the formal principles and elements…
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A great example of how things change. Look at your engagement or wedding ring. Is it a Tiffany style solitaire? If so, I have some trivia for you.
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This old vaudeville joke about Carnegie Hall, which opened in 1891, has been around so long, that no one knows who first said it. Made famous by Jack Benny (1894-1974), the vaudeville, radio and television comedian, it is probably the most quoted guidance on the importance of practice in order to learn a skill. This quote is about music and musicians, not jewelry, but it has become the default advice on how to learn just about anything. Unfortunately, it is probably the worst advice you can give someone to help them master any skill.
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Lon Putman handed this to me over 30 years ago and told me it was going to be the most important tool I would ever use. And he was 100% correct. I use it every time I go into my shop. Many times when I am not even in my shop. When people visit my shop to learn, I start by telling them that this is the most important tool they can ever have as well
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I have no “artistic ability“. But I do not care about that. I have plenty of “creative ability”. I would prefer to have both.