There will always be a need for the ability to wield a hammer like an artist weilds a brush.
Well put Alastair! This is indeed the goldsmith’s hopeful sentiment.
Michael David Sturlin
This results in knowing my limitations, new techniques, or mastery...
Yes, though in this case, spending lots of time and energy trying to
get CAD/CAM to do something that hand fabrication pretty much is
assured of doing better, even if you can come very close, has one
other problem. The time. None of use has unlimited time. And time
spent tilting at windmills or reinventing the wheel may not be
wasted, but it’s gone, nevertheless.
Hand Fabrication is a wonderful and valuable skill. So is CAD/CAM
proficiency. But the two are different. It takes you time to master
each. While you will learn things by trying to force CAD/CAM to
reproduce the finest handmade work, the question is, would your time
have been better spent either learning more about actual hand
fabrication, or learning more about how to use the intrinsic and
unique properties of CAD/CAM products and the process, to it’s best
effect? You can spend much time in each, and the time will be well
spent exploring each method to it’s maximum (or yours, at least,
within in.) Time spent trying to force square pegs into round holes
will also teach you something, but it may not be an efficient or
productive use of your time and effort. You’ll end up with a product
that may seem nice, but it won’t be exactly as nice as what it
attempts to do. On the other hand, time spent really exploring the
new horizons of the new technologies, well, who knows what you may
discover that really IS worth all the time and effort.
And your comment about starting with the most difficult metal
combinations for your first mokume work, well, I’d suggest that
learning works best in incremental steps. The old saw about having to
learn to walk before you learn to run may not always be true, but it
has merit nevertheless. If you learn the easy combos first, and their
limits, then the more difficult aspects of the method will make more
sense. If nothing else, knowing how to do the easy bonding will give
you something to compare against. If you try a method with the
diffucult combination of metals that never works with any combo, how
do you know that, if you’ve not failed with it using the easy combos.
Much more valuable to know that the method that works well fusing
silver and copper together doesn’t work with silver and your bronze.
It gives you a reference point for comparison. And does learning the
hard part first always make the easy parts simple? Suppose you
figure out a way to get your difficult combo of metals to bond well.
And suppose to do it, you have to take a bunch of extra steps and
work harder. OK, cool. But now, how do you know that you don’t have
to do all that jazz to get the easy combination to work? If you apply
what you just learned, and go through all the same steps to get the
easy combination to work, you’ll pat yourself on the back for having
made your life much more complex, and having spent more time and
energy on something than it needed.
Walk first. Learn it. Learn as well, how much more of the world you
can see when moving slowly and quietly and relaxed through it.
Then run. Enjoy the rush, the breeze, the endorphins and
exhileration. You’ll miss seeing quite as much, but knowing these
things from the walking days, you’ll at least be aware of what’s
there if you just slow down for a bit.
Now run for the track team. Even more rush, more breeze, much more
testosterone and competition. A different rush, plus the appeal of
the cheering audience. You will no longer be able to enjoy the sounds
of nature as you run alone in the woods, but as with the serene
bright colors of the flowers you bent over to smell whill walking,
the scents and sounds and feel of running in the woods won’t be
unknown or totally forgotten when you’re racing for your team on the
track.
Then make the Olympics. All the above remains true. You’ll no longer
be running just in front of all your friends. It will be the world,
strangers, and a rather more brutal place. But you’ll have the
benefits of all the prior experience bolstering your efforts and
making them all the richer.
If you instead did all your training on a treadmill gymn in your
basement, and somehow managed to go right to the top without all the
interim steps, you might still stand on a podium with roses and a
cool medal and camera flashes in your face. But your understanding of
what you’d done, it’s meaning, place in the world, and how you got
there, would be a lot more limited.
Peter Rowe
Enjoy life now. It has an expiration date!
I can imagine printing in layers of a few atoms. So much on the horizon and I marvel at the relentless advance in technology.
I share Alastair’s and other’s wonder at the directions of
technology, jewelry and otherwise.
There was an article by a physicist about the transporter on Star
Trek, and the possibility of it becoming practical. It was 20 years
ago, and I don’t remember it accurately, but the gist of it was
along the lines of: If you used current, state of the art memory
technology, and assigned each atom in the human body a single memory
address, it would require every atom in the known universe. What I
said is maybe not accurate, but what he said was, I just don’t
recall the details. Along those lines…
So, yes. Scientists spelled IBM the first time, and at this point
it’s a perrenial student parlor trick in labs. Even building a 1
carat diamond would require placing 1 with (hold down the “0” key for
a minute or so here) atoms with the greatest precision. Building the
ring for that would mean taking that number and squaring or cubing
it or maybe cubing it again. There’s a way of calculating real
numbers, and I’m not going there- maybe it’s not THAT many, but it
sure is a lot.
Doesn’t mean it won’t happen, but I doubt it’s a threat to current
reader’s careers, either.
OK, it’s been at least 3 weeks since this thread began, where is the
ring produced by CAD. I think Leonid would have had a hand made one
done weeks ago.
Bill Wismar
Peter: You just have the most wonderful ability with words and I so
appreciate them. I loved your comment about life having an expiration
date, and since I’m facing my 79th birthday soon, I can certainly
relate to that. While I’ve no intent on leaving anytime soon (as
though I could make that choice) it’s nice to know that I have
followed the traditional path of walking, then running, then racing
and now I’m walking again - only this time
I seem to be seeing so much more along the way than I did the first
time - possibly because I’m not in a rush and because I felt like I
had missed some of it the first time I walked it so I am really
looking hard! And the same is true with jewelry fabrication. Now when
solder flows correctly the first time I’m no longer “blas=e’” about
it, I am rather amazed at how incredible the simple techniques are
and I enjoy the experience like I never used to. Getting older has
its advantages just as being young did - in fact I keep telling my
children “if I had known it was going to be so much fun to get older,
I’d have done it much sooner”.
Yes, though in this case, spending lots of time and energy trying to get CAD/CAM to do something that hand fabrication pretty much is assured of doing better, even if you can come very close, has one other problem. The time. None of use has unlimited time. And time spent tilting at windmills or reinventing the wheel may not be wasted, but it's gone, nevertheless.
Is it your suggestion that I don’t try?
True my time is valuable, but I seem to have more than most. I work
for an art store 2 days a week (gotta get away from the house
sometime), I do study 1 day, that leaves 4 days to do what I like.
Added to this I sleep 2-3 hours a night, so I have to do something to
occupy myself 
Hand Fabrication is a wonderful and valuable skill. So is CAD/CAM proficiency. But the two are different. It takes you time to master each. While you will learn things by trying to force CAD/CAM to reproduce the finest handmade work, the question is, would your time have been better spent either learning more about actual hand fabrication, or learning more about how to use the intrinsic and unique properties of CAD/CAM products and the process, to it's best effect? You can spend much time in each, and the time will be well spent exploring each method to it's maximum (or yours, at least, within in.) Time spent trying to force square pegs into round holes will also teach you something, but it may not be an efficient or productive use of your time and effort. You'll end up with a product that may seem nice, but it won't be exactly as nice as what it attempts to do. On the other hand, time spent really exploring the new horizons of the new technologies, well, who knows what you may discover that really IS worth all the time and effort.
Funnily enough, I don’t dislike hand fabrication, I actually enjoy
it, it’s one of the benefits of studying where people in the industry
study. I can already draw using 3D packages, and I’m happy to leave
the machining of waxes to a button press.
Again I have a lot more time than most, so I have the luxury of
being able to explore many things.
And your comment about starting with the most difficult metal combinations for your first mokume work, well, I'd suggest that learning works best in incremental steps.
It wasn’t without thought. I already know how to pattern weld
ferrous metals, and I have read Ferguson’s book cover to cover. The
similarities in the processes are very slight. The choice of metals
is not simply a matter of difficulty, although that is an attraction
for me, but that of cost, and metal preference. Sure I could have
chosen copper over bronze, but let’s face it would a client prefer a
silver and copper ring or a silver and bronze ring(?)… and I really
like my bronze (if you haven’t gathered that yet 
).
Suppose you figure out a way to get your difficult combo of metals to bond well. And suppose to do it, you have to take a bunch of extra steps and work harder. OK, cool. But now, how do you know that you don't have to do all that jazz to get the easy combination to work? If you apply what you just learned, and go through all the same steps to get the easy combination to work, you'll pat yourself on the back for having made your life much more complex, and having spent more time and energy on something than it needed.
From past experience this isn’t true for me. Choosing the hard
metals for pattern welding ferrous metals, ground in the techniques
that are necessary for any pattern welding of ferrous metals (and
maybe a little piece of nickel on occasion). If I had gone for the
easy metals first, when I came up to a difficult metal, I might slip
back to only using easy metals, and limiting myself. This way I get
the pain over first instead of having to suffer later (if you’ve ever
done pattern welding of ferrous metals you’ll know what I mean).
If you instead did all your training on a treadmill gymn in your basement, and somehow managed to go right to the top without all the interim steps, you might still stand on a podium with roses and a cool medal and camera flashes in your face. But your understanding of what you'd done, it's meaning, place in the world, and how you got there, would be a lot more limited.
You don’t have to concern yourself that I’m learning bad techniques.
I don’t just do things by myself, I’m not an island, I ask a lot of
questions, do a lot of research, I go where I need to go… before I
throw myself off the edge.
Regards Charles
Dear Charles,
Can I get an apprentice, or can I give free tuition? I haven't found anyone that wants to learn. So much for 30+ years of experience :-(
Years ago a friend made to me the startling claim that you are what
people think you are. I was then, and I remain, in furious
disagreement with her. Sure, there are commercial circumstances where
“you’re doing it wrong” if it doesn’t sell. But there are times when
the market around you truly fails to appreciate what it’s missing.
Appreciation of your skills and of your good wishes to pass them on
will flow around.
Nice warm climate, comfortably tax-funded unemployment for many,
school systems that reinforce expectations of managerial status
straight out of high school and, often, eye-watering ignorance of the
fun, beauty and worth of creative processes are among the factors
that work against your wish to pass on your skills.
Be strong… outwait 'em… the time will come around again.
Mark Bingham
http://www.relati.com
We say - take a sketch, stuff it in a computer, push a few button, and jewellery comes out on the other end. That is a public perception, and sure, nobody can expect to be paid for that.
I have to agree with Leonid that public perception tends to move
that way quite easily. In part I think it is because of our unfailing
belief in technology to solve just about anything. Being aware of how
our culture works, I am curious what suggestions there are to
maintain the human creative link to the work that we do in the minds
of the public. Specifically, what is to be avoided and what is to be
emphasized when we do use technology as just another tool to get the
job done whether it is a laser, CAD, or casting.
J Collier
Metalsmith
If we arrange the list in order of skills required - goldsmith would be on the very top, even if we include doctors and lawyers in the list.
Truly an amazing statement. Disconnected from reality perhaps but
amazing none the less.
Here’s a bit of news for most of the struggling students here. This
gig is not so hard. I wouldn’t quite call it trained monkey work, but
most of you out there, if you’ve been working with your hands for
awhile and haven’t quit by now…you CAN do it. Will you be the next
Dunay or Bondanza? Uhhh, probably not but you certainly can get good
enough to make a living if that’s your goal. Just don’t give up. And
do care about what you do.
Its not rocket science, its not legal theory, its not biochemistry.
For the most part its mechanics. You look, you see, you do. You take
the metal you take the stones and you do physical stuff with them.
Bend it, file it, burn it, chip stones, have the job come back to
haunt you(the infamous marriage job happens to about everybody sooner
or later) and then again one day things just click. You bend it file
it set it and its fabulous. You can do the work without a great deal
of mental anguish. And you’ll be confident enough to know what kind
of counterproductive-speak to disregard.
And about the pay…try to avoid thinking in terms of hourly wage,
or comparing your pay to that of plumbers etc. If you do you have
already defeated yourself. Think about enticing amounts of money and
just what does it take to get your hands on it. How does a hundred
grand sound? What about a couple of million? Its up to you to figure
out how you, with whatever assets and/or liabilities you might have,
get yourself from wanting to having.
But Neil, what in the heck does that have to do with cast/handmade?
They are both legitimate roads to OZ. In fact, they are the same
road. Once you see that you can continue your journey.
Phew, I’m tired now! What’s for lunch?
You look, you see, you do. You take the metal you take the stones and you do physical stuff with them.
I would qualify Neil’s utterly truthful post a bit, because the
other side of the coin is those who want to skate on marginal
skills. I’ve complete= ly made thousands of pieces, and I’ve had some
participation in many thousands of pieces - no, it’s not an
exaggeration, I’ve pretty much put in 40 hour weeks for nearly 4
decades. It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock and
roll… But you work at your level every step of the way, too -
you just need to keep your eyes up.
As for CNC and the rest, there are things I like about it, some of
which I’ve said here, and I don’t much care for how it’s
transforming our industry either. But there’s another life-rule:
If you throw yourself in front of the wheels of progress you WILL
have tire tracks on your back. That doesn’t mean we have to embrace
it, but we do need to pay attention. Keep out of your own way…
Charles,
Can I get an apprentice, or can I give free tuition? I haven't found anyone that wants to learn. So much for 30+ years of experience :-(
If you lived in South Florida I would definitely be more than happy
to become your apprentice or get free tuition. I am eager to learn
and would give anything to be able to learn at the feet of a master.
Alas, no one wants an old apprentice like me, nor is there anyone
giving out free tuition and the one thing I don’t have to give is
money. Still, just being here on Orchid and absorbing as much info as
all of you are willing to give out is giving me an education. Because
of this forum I also had the privilege of a one semester scholarship
with Don Dietz. I learned so much is those 8 short lessons and from
all of you. It’s now not the continuing “hands on” learning I’d like
but it’s better than nothing. So please… You are appreciated by
many of us.
Michele
If you lived in South Florida I would definitely be more than happy to become your apprentice or get free tuition. I am eager to learn and would give anything to be able to learn at the feet of a master.
If you ever come to Australia you’ve got the tuition, I have no
problems teaching anyone 
I’m considering adding hardened (rock hard) leather to some of my
jewellery projects, at least leather will still be out there.
Just can’t seem to generate any interest locally 
Regards Charles
Charles,
Oh, what a wonderful idea. If only I could. Never been to Australia
but have a number of friends there and one good friend who just came
back from a 3 week trip. I can imagine how great it is over there.
Ah, maybe someday. 
Michele (Miki)