I think part of the problem, too, is that there's a disconnect
between the jewelry industry and art jewelry. One head hunter even
asked me, "Well, since most of your experience is with art jewelry
I guess that means you don't have any experience with precious
stones?"
I think that you nailed your employment problems when you said that
you are now noticeably pregnant. Probably not so much medical as that
you are going to be leaving within months for some time, etc.
I’ve been pondering how to address your statement above, though,
without riling people too much. I think it’s an important question,
though. I am, and have always been, a “trade” jeweler. For 30 years I
have been a “fine” jeweler, one-time union officer, etc. I will be
first to realize that there is no black and white - I use any method
that gets the job done, myself. I think I can tell you the trade’s
perspective, though. Fine jewelry making is sculpture (yes, I do know
that any ring is “sculpture”). It is modeled and crafted in 3d, most
of the time. That which many call “Art” jewelry is often either wax
work or sheet metal work, or components assembled together - stacked,
if you will. What I’m talking about is if one walks into a gallery
and looks in the cases, they’ll see some ring and say, "Look, they
took a piece of sheet metal, artfully curled up one corner and put a
texture, and then soldered an artfully textured circle of metal onto
it. What I’m saying, you see, is that we don’t stock sheet metal, we
don’t stock wire, we don’t stock sizing stock. We buy 24kt. from
foreign exchange, solder and findings as needed. Everything is done
from scratch. I tend to think of goldsmithing as clay, the other side
of the coin is to think of it as tinker toys - pieces to be stuck
together. If one thinks of wire as lines, and sheets as planes, then
it is actually 2d. Sticking them together artfully makes it 3d on the
basic level, but they are still 2d shapes. Fine jewelry at it’s best
is sculpture. Everybody uses wax sometimes, but what I’m saying is
that where someone will solder a piece of 2mm wire and call it a
prong, I will solder a 3mm wire and contour and carve it into a shape
and then call it a prong. The wire is not a prong, it’s carving
rough.
A cluster setting of 12 diamonds around a center stone begins life as
thick sheet metal, and by the time it is done it’s unrecognizable as
being such - it is literally a carving. And that’s what a trade
goldsmith really is - a sculptor in miniature in gold. So- We are
likely going to an “Art Jewelry” opening tonight for the book “500
Bracelets”. We will see much arty jewelry, enjoy it very much, and
have a wonderful time. But when you go to a trade shop and apply for
a job, and say you are an “Art Jeweler”, they can and might have an
image of Lego blocks in their mind. And when they say, “Our work is
crafted,” which brings some to say, “What, mine’s not?”, exchange the
word “modeled” for “crafted” and it will make more sense. There are
two lessons here, in what has become an essay… First is that you
can do what you can do, and any foreman worth working for will look
at
least a bit. Categorizing yourself as an Art Jeweler is unnecessary
anyway, I think. And if you can retip and shank and set and assemble
and have some experience with platinum, then calling yourself that is
untrue, anyway, in the way I talked about above. Shops are looking
for skill sets, not labels, and you have, or don’t have, whatever
that is in you. And that’s related to part 2: If you make truly art
jewelry, and walk into a fine shop, what you are doing is saying,
“I’m a baker and you’re a butcher, got a job for me?” There is a shop
somewhere for anyone who wants to be in an “Art Jewelry Shop” - many
people have employees making production. Finding them is the
beginning. But if you want to bridge that gap, do some sort of trade
work, break into “The Jewelry Industry” (of which Art Jewelry is a
part already) you need to be able to do the work that they want to
pay for - they want to be certain that your skill set matches their
business plan, of course. And if you are truly skilled someone will
snatch you up - They’re not stupid… All I need to do is give you a
task and watch you and the bench for 10 minutes, and I’ll know
everything you are about. I don’t have a resume - I never have. I’ve
just looked up the shops in the phone book, knocked on the door
(manufacturers, not retailers) and said, “I’m a jeweler, looking for
work.”