[Call for Entries] "Differences Unite Us" Jewelry Exhibition

Jewelry Discussion
1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 12, 2011

Ganoksin, the gem and jewelry world’s foremost resource on the
internet, announces a new online jewelry exhibition dedicated to the
theme “Differences Unite Us”.

http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/duu

“Differences Unite Us” Jewelry Exhibition

Sponsored by The Ganoksin Project, the Internet’s oldest and largest
jewelry website, this international online exhibition will feature
work dedicated to the theme “Differences Unite Us”.

Ganoksin sponsors the jewelry list Orchid, with 12,000 list members
from all over the world, speaking from a wide range of technical and
aesthetic experiences. The exhibition theme grew out of a desire to
celebrate the creativity encompassed in this wide variety.

Artists are free to interpret the theme in any way they choose. There
is no limit on materials.

Each artist may submit up to 6 pieces at NO charge.

We require jury-quality images
…

Entries must be in jpg format, and must be at least 600 pixels wide.

Only top quality images will be accepted!

We do not judge your design work, but we do reserve the right to
refuse photographs of lesser quality. All images must exhibit
technical competence including sharp focus, proper exposure,
adequate depth of field, and must use the best backdrop possible
(usually a gray, white or black smooth background).

Photographs should be edited properly in a photo-editing program
before submitting. Please crop and correct for exposure and
rotation.

Not accepted:
…

Images with watermarks, copyright notice, edited frames, edited
backgrounds or other photoshop effects.

Images should be submitted with the entry form below completely
filled out. When listing web URLs please be sure the URL is for a
site that does NOT require viewers to sign up or be part of a group!

All submissions are subject to editor evaluation!

Entries will be accepted between August 11 and November 30.

To particiapte please use the online form to submit your work at
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/duu

Beth Wicker
Curator
“Differences Unite Us” Jewelry Exhibition

2

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 12, 2011

Ganoksin, the gem and jewelry world’s foremost resource on the
internet, announces a new online jewelry exhibition dedicated to the
theme “Differences Unite Us”.

http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/duu

“Differences Unite Us” Jewelry Exhibition

Sponsored by The Ganoksin Project, the Internet’s oldest and largest
jewelry website, this international online exhibition will feature
work dedicated to the theme “Differences Unite Us”.

Ganoksin sponsors the jewelry list Orchid, with 12,000 list members
from all over the world, speaking from a wide range of technical and
aesthetic experiences. The exhibition theme grew out of a desire to
celebrate the creativity encompassed in this wide variety.

Artists are free to interpret the theme in any way they choose. There
is no limit on materials.

Each artist may submit up to 6 pieces at NO charge.

We require jury-quality images
…

Entries must be in jpg format, and must be at least 600 pixels wide.

Only top quality images will be accepted!

We do not judge your design work, but we do reserve the right to
refuse photographs of lesser quality. All images must exhibit
technical competence including sharp focus, proper exposure,
adequate depth of field, and must use the best backdrop possible
(usually a gray, white or black smooth background).

Photographs should be edited properly in a photo-editing program
before submitting. Please crop and correct for exposure and
rotation.

Not accepted:
…

Images with watermarks, copyright notice, edited frames, edited
backgrounds or other photoshop effects.

Images should be submitted with the entry form below completely
filled out. When listing web URLs please be sure the URL is for a
site that does NOT require viewers to sign up or be part of a group!

All submissions are subject to editor evaluation!

Entries will be accepted between August 11 and November 30.

To participate please use the online form to submit your work at
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/duu

Beth Wicker
Curator
“Differences Unite Us” Jewelry Exhibition

3 
After reading the requirements for this exhibition, I feel it
should be in a photographers forum. I love the statement, We do
not judge your design work, but we do reserve the right to refuse
photographs of lesser quality. All images must exhibit technical
competence including sharp focus, proper exposure, adequate depth
of field,

Maybe the JEWELRY should show technical competence, I will not enter
this exhibition because I am a jeweler not a photographer

Bill Wismar

4 
I will not enter this exhibition because I am a jeweler not a
photographer

I have to agree with Bill here. Far too many times my work has been
judged on the quality of the photography instead of the quality of
the work. Perhaps we should start to judge paintings on the quality
of the frames and music on the quality of the art work on the
packaging. I realize the convenience of judging through the use of
photos, but perhaps we are looking for the easy way out in the
judging stages of exhibition and therefore compromising the quality
of the exhibition itself?? Or maybe we could just write an essay
about the concept of the piece and how we would execute it… no need
for tools or materials, no messy shops or cluttered work benches no
need for any of that frivolous stuff like craftsman ship and design.
My soap box is once again occupied.

Frank Goss

5 
Maybe the JEWELRY should show technical competence, I will not
enter this exhibition because I am a jeweler not a photographer

Understood, but as this is an online exhibit the only way anyone
will see the jewelry is through the photograph - if the photograph
is not “readable” - in other words if the jewelry is not clearly and
understandably visible - then the viewers “visiting” the exhibit
online don’t actually get to see your entry. Quite different from an
exhibit with actual jewelry, where they would see the actual piece.

If you enter higher end shows that require photographic submissions,
this is what we are looking for. Simple, clear, focussed images,
with proper exposure so the jewelry is the focus and can really be
seen and appreciated.

Most professional jewelers have either learned how to do this so
they can enter competitions and exhibitions, or pay a professional
photographer to do their jury quality photographs, so they would
already have the necessary quality of image on hand. Amateurs might
need a bit more work on the photography. We do respond to entries
needing better photographs with suggestions for improvement, and
invite them to resubmit. It is a learning process, and one that
anyone planning to be active in the field beyond their local area
needs to master.

Most shows/competitions/fairs, etc. now require digital entries -
whether through Zapplication or direct. And if your images are out
of focus with distracting backgrounds and don’t show off your
jewelry to its best light, you will NOT get accepted. You can like
this or dislike it, but this IS today’s reality. When I started out
it was slides we sent in - and I had to learn how to properly
photograph my work in slides. I like digital MUCH better, thank you!

Beth Wicker

6 
Maybe the JEWELRY should show technical competence, I will not
enter this exhibition because I am a jeweler not a photographer

To Bill Wismar

In the Ganoskin Exhibit, there is one shortcoming. It is held on the
internet and therefore photographs only can be seen. None of us can
visit the actual piece of jewelry or hold it, turn it around, or
upside down. Although I have no connection with Ganoskin, I do have
to support their requests to have technically competent photographs.
This isn’t a juried show - it is an internet exhibition. And therefre
they will not exclude the jewelry but do reserve the right to exclude
the photograph. I hope I have interpreted their request. I believe
they want to encourage people at all levels in jewelry making to take
part. And for that, I applaud them. The experts can take part in the
juried show competitions. It’s a pity you are excluding yourself from
taking part in Ganoksin exhibits. I for one would like to see what
you do.

…

Ganoksin, the gem and jewelry world’s foremost resource on the
internet, announces a new online jewelry exhibition dedicated to the
theme “Differences Unite Us”.

http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/duu
…

7

Bill,

Maybe the JEWELRY should show technical competence, I will not
enter this exhibition because I am a jeweler not a photographer

Sorry, I beg to differ.

The care and respect that you fabricate your jewelry should be
reflected in the image that is documented. Image is everything.
Although I am not inspired with the theme of this exhibition,
Ganoksin has every right to pursue beautiful images that uplift,
inspire others and promote our vision as metalsmiths to encourage
others to take our field seriously.

Karen Christians
Cleverwerx.com

…

Ganoksin, the gem and jewelry world’s foremost resource on the
internet, announces a new online jewelry exhibition dedicated to the
theme “Differences Unite Us”.

http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/duu
…

8

Maybe one should jury actual pieces.

Vince La Rochelle

9

Sad that the originator of this thread should take such a negative
attitude.

I would have thought that in this day and age when taking a good
image is so easy, not a perfect image necessarily, but one good for
the purpose.

I am over 70 but just tech-savvi enough I hope.

Besides it is pointless presenting lousy images, at least with a
good image we can criticise anything we think is bad design or
technique. I have got my photos in!

David Cruickshank. Australia
jewellerydavidcruickshank.com.au

10 
Maybe the JEWELRY should show technical competence, I will not
enter this exhibition because I am a jeweler not a photographer

This discussion brings up some interesting points.

As a student I find that I am looking in more jewellers shop
windows, and getting an understanding on the quality levels of the
various stores and chains.

  1. You can see the differences in jewellery quality if you spend the
    time looking. You just can.

  2. No matter how good the quality, presentation is paramount in
    making a sale. Some of the excellent workmanship I’ve seen was let
    down by the presentation, light scratches, dust poor lighting etc.

  3. Sales staff need to be taught how to look after the pieces. Some
    of the counter staff wipe down the counter tops with the same cloths
    that they clean the jewellery with, and rarely use white tripoli.

It doesn’t matter how technically perfect your piece is, if it’s
not presented with care it wont appeal as much.

Regards Charles A.

11

Yes, it’s a pain to have to have quality photographs, but we’re
entering a ninternet show. If we want to participate we have to
adhere to what is needed to make it work on the internet. If we
don’t, we can always exhibit in non-internet shows. Non-internet
shows have their requirements too.

They’re just different. Well, while I think about it, don’t most
juried non-internet shows require quality photographs also?

12

My photography was judged to not be of high enough quality for the
last exhibition, therefore, you did not see any of my work in it.

John

13 
Sad that the originator of this thread should take such a negative
attitude.

I am the originator of this thread and for the record, I can take
pictures as good or better than most. The point I was making is that
there is more emphasis on the “technical competence” of the photo
instead of the jewelry. Also, I am not trying to limit the
exhibition to professionals, even beginners can show quality and
technical competence. As much as Leonid upsets me in some of his
post, most of them always go back to QUALITY. If you learn quality to
begin with you can do most anything. Does a great photo of a poor
design make the design great, and should a great design showing
technical competence be passed over because of a poor photo.

Bill Wismar

14

Bill, no - a great photo of a poor design does NOT make that design
great. HOWEVER - in an online exhibition, the only way the viewers
“see” the piece is through the photos. If the photos are blurry,
full of glare, full of shadows, over-photoshopped, have altered
color, way too flat or way too contrasty, or are photographed on
distracting backgrounds or with distracting props - the viewers
cannot, in fact “see” the piece to tell if it IS a great design or
not!

We decided we did not wish to do a traditional juried show, rather
we wished to show the range of work currently being made around the
world. This was a deliberate choice. The reality, if you visit the
current exhibit, is that most of the work is, in fact, extremely well
done and very well designed. Some is quite stunning!

Since the exhibit will only be seen online, including images with
poor photography makes no sense at all. If the viewers to the website
can’t actually see the jewelry well due to poor photography, why
should they bother to visit the website at all? If I enlarge a
submission, and still can’t really “see” the piece, it is certainly
not going to work in a smaller normal viewing size on a web site.
When I receive entries like that I respond to the entrant and explain
what changes are needed in the photograph to ensure it WILL be able
to be seen in a way that does it justice in the exhibition. The
entrant can then re-submit the piece or pieces. We had several folks
who took advantage of that in the last exhibition to greatly improve
their images, and had their work included. I have already had folks
this time re-submit MUCH better images that actually DO allow the
viewer to see the quality of the work, whereas the initial entries
did not.

A good photo will make a well designed, well crafted piece look as
good as it would it real life. A good photo will only accentuate the
problems a poorly designed, poorly crafted piece has, making those
quite obvious.

Again, if you are currently entering shows, you should have jury
quality images already, as most shows require photographic entries of
some sort. If you aren’t, this is a good skill to develop. There have
been many helpful posts on photographing jewelry over the years on
Orchid if you wish to search for them.

I would encourage Orchid members to submit entries to the exhibit.
Do remember that this is a themed exhibit, and you must explain in
your entry how your piece fits into the theme!

Beth Wicker

15 
My photography was judged to not be of high enough quality for the
last exhibition, therefore, you did not see any of my work in it.

Debora has created some beautiful and colourful pieces. Maybe a
talent for photography also lies within her gifts!

16

Beth

If you really wanted to show the work from around the world, you
would put in every image that was sent in. I pity the poor guy that
is a wonderful silversmith but can’t afford fine cameras and photo
shop. His image will not make the cut and it could be the best work
out there. Someone could send you one of the best images you will
have but with the ugliest design and with crappy workmanship which
would prove my point. You ARE doing a juried show. It is juried by
the quality of the photo. This is a photo exhibition not a jewelry
exhibition. There could be a caption under a photo that said, this
piece was made by so and so in the mountains of Mexico using hand
drills and a blowtorch. The picture was taken with an old camera and
no photo shop work because he cannot afford it. Please disregard the
photo quality and admire the wonderful workmanship that this artist
exhibits.

I am done with this thread.

Bill Wismar

17 
If you really wanted to show the work from around the world, you
would put in every image that was sent in. I pity the poor guy
that is a wonderful silversmith but can't afford fine cameras and
photo shop. His image will not make the cut and it could be the
best work out there. Someone could send you one of the best images
you will have but with the ugliest design and with crappy
workmanship which would prove my point.

You have just summarized the nature of the digital age Bill. I
wouldn’t pity the guy with the great silversmithing skills and lousy
image for not making it through an online exhibition, but because he
would not find buyers for his wonderful work online…

Great food photos are not always tasty as they look but they are
always temptating and inspiring.

18

Ganoksin, the gem and jewelry world’s foremost resource on the
internet, announces a new online jewelry exhibition dedicated to the
theme “Differences Unite Us”.

http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/duu

“Differences Unite Us” Jewelry Exhibition

Sponsored by The Ganoksin Project, the Internet’s oldest and largest
jewelry website, this international online exhibition will feature
work dedicated to the theme “Differences Unite Us”.

Ganoksin sponsors the jewelry list Orchid, with 12,000 list members
from all over the world, speaking from a wide range of technical and
aesthetic experiences. The exhibition theme grew out of a desire to
celebrate the creativity encompassed in this wide variety.

Artists are free to interpret the theme in any way they choose. There
is no limit on materials.

Each artist may submit up to 6 pieces at NO charge.

We require jury-quality images
…

Entries must be in jpg format, and must be at least 600 pixels wide.

Only top quality images will be accepted!

We do not judge your design work, but we do reserve the right to
refuse photographs of lesser quality. All images must exhibit
technical competence including sharp focus, proper exposure,
adequate depth of field, and must use the best backdrop possible
(usually a gray, white or black smooth background).

Photographs should be edited properly in a photo-editing program
before submitting. Please crop and correct for exposure and
rotation.

Not accepted:
…

Images with watermarks, copyright notice, edited frames, edited
backgrounds or other photoshop effects.

Images should be submitted with the entry form below completely
filled out. When listing web URLs please be sure the URL is for a
site that does NOT require viewers to sign up or be part of a group!

All submissions are subject to editor evaluation!

Entries will be accepted between August 11 and November 30.

To participate please use the online form to submit your work at
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/duu

Beth Wicker
Curator
“Differences Unite Us” Jewelry Exhibition

19

Ganoksin, the gem and jewelry world’s foremost resource on the
internet, announces a new online jewelry exhibition dedicated to the
theme “Differences Unite Us”.

http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/duu

Entries will be accepted until November 30.

“Differences Unite Us” Jewelry Exhibition

Sponsored by The Ganoksin Project, the Internet’s oldest and largest
jewelry website, this international online exhibition will feature
work dedicated to the theme “Differences Unite Us”.

Ganoksin sponsors the jewelry list Orchid, with 12,000 list members
from all over the world, speaking from a wide range of technical and
aesthetic experiences. The exhibition theme grew out of a desire to
celebrate the creativity encompassed in this wide variety.

Artists are free to interpret the theme in any way they choose. There
is no limit on materials.

Each artist may submit up to 6 pieces at NO charge.

We require jury-quality images
…

Entries must be in jpg format, and must be at least 600 pixels wide.

Only top quality images will be accepted!

We do not judge your design work, but we do reserve the right to
refuse photographs of lesser quality. All images must exhibit
technical competence including sharp focus, proper exposure,
adequate depth of field, and must use the best backdrop possible
(usually a gray, white or black smooth background).

Photographs should be edited properly in a photo-editing program
before submitting. Please crop and correct for exposure and
rotation.

Not accepted:
…

Images with watermarks, copyright notice, edited frames, edited
backgrounds or other photoshop effects.

Images should be submitted with the entry form below completely
filled out. When listing web URLs please be sure the URL is for a
site that does NOT require viewers to sign up or be part of a group!

All submissions are subject to editor evaluation!

Entries will be accepted until November 30.

To participate please use the online form to submit your work at
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/duu

Beth Wicker
Curator
“Differences Unite Us” Jewelry Exhibition

20

Ganoksin, the gem and jewelry world’s foremost resource on the
internet, announces a new online jewelry exhibition dedicated to the
theme “Differences Unite Us”.

http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/duu

Due to the floods in Thailand, the entry deadline has been extended
to February 29, 2012.

Sponsored by The Ganoksin Project, the Internet’s oldest and largest
jewelry website, this international online exhibition will feature
work dedicated to the theme “Differences Unite Us”.

Ganoksin sponsors the jewelry list Orchid, with 12,000 list members
from all over the world, speaking from a wide range of technical and
aesthetic experiences. The exhibition theme grew out of a desire to
celebrate the creativity encompassed in this wide variety.

Artists are free to interpret the theme in any way they choose.
There is no limit on materials. We are interested in the intersection
between differing materials, techniques, and concepts.

Each artist may submit up to 6 pieces at NO charge.

http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/duu

We require jury-quality images
…

Entries must be in jpg format, and must be at least 600 pixels wide.

Only top quality images will be accepted! As this exhibition is see
online only, the images are the only way viewers have to “see” and
understand the work. Poor photography means work that cannot be
adequately seen and understood.

We do not judge your design work, but we do reserve the right to
refuse photographs of lesser quality. All images must exhibit
technical competence including sharp focus, proper exposure, adequate
depth of field, and must use the best backdrop possible (usually a
gray, white or black smooth background).

Photographs should be edited properly in a photo-editing program
before submitting. Please crop and correct for exposure and rotation.

Not accepted:
…

Images with watermarks, copyright notice, edited frames, edited
backgrounds or other photoshop effects.

Images should be submitted with the entry form below completely
filled out. When listing web URLs please be sure the URL is for a
site that does NOT require viewers to sign up or be part of a group!

All submissions are subject to editor evaluation!

Due to the floods in Thailand, the entry deadline has been extended
to February 29, 2012.

“Differences Unite Us” Jewelry Exhibition
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/duu

For more about the Exhibition please contact: Beth
Wicker or Dr. E. Aspler (Hanuman)

Beth Wicker
Curator
“Differences Unite Us” Jewelry Exhibition
The Ganoksin Project
S i n c e 1 9 9 6

Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Techniques