MJSA J-Bench Conference, Trade Fair Takes Place Sept. 13-14 in
Providence This is the second year for J-Bench, which includes two
days of education and a vendor room
MJSA, the association dedicated to professional excellence in
jewelry making and design, announces its second Jeweler’s Bench
Conference & Trade Fair, on Sept. 13-14, 2014, returning to the
Providence Airport Sheraton, just afew minutes’ drive from Rhode
Island’s T. F. Green Airport.
The conference serves designers, custom designers and jewelry makers
who work at a bench, or bench jewelers who run service, repair,
custom, and repurposing businesses. Along with two days of
education, the trade fair includes suppliers offering an array of
bench tools and supplies, CAD/CAM software and machines, laser
welders and engravers, finishing supplies and systems, components,
and chain, business services and software, and
subcontracting services.
To add to the fun, MJSA is sponsoring a “Win a Free Bench” drawing
for any attendee who registers and attends J-Bench either day.
“This year, we’ve divided the education conference into two distinct
days, one for jewelers looking to improve their business and
marketing skills, and a second day for designers and bench jewelers
who want to sharpen their bench skills,” says David W. Cochran, MJSA
President & CEO.
The Better Business Strategies sessions were designed by the MJSA
EducationFoundation, and the Better Bench Work classes were
developed by Metalwerx, a Waltham, Massachusetts-based school and
community studio for jewelry makers and metal artists. Metalwerx
faculty includes well-known jewelers and teachers Michael Good,
Cynthia Eid, Charles Lewton-Brain, John Cogswell, andDavid Baird.
The Better Business Strategies program begins on Saturday, Sept. 13,
with sessions on how to stock a better bench, how to market your
jewelry via social media, how to price both repairs and custom
designs to make a profit, and how to handle the operations and
inventory side of a business. Speakers iea and on the faculty of
Boston’s North Bennet Street School; Joel McFadden, an award-winning
custom designer and owner of Joel McFadden Designs in Red Bank, New
Jersey; Marlene Richey, who ran an award-winning jewelry designfirm
and retail jewelry gallery and is the author of the award-winning
book Profiting by Design: A Jewelry Maker’s Guide to Business
Success (MJSA Press); and Peggy Jo Donahue, director of the MJSA
Education Foundation, who also manages MJSA’s social networking
sites.
The Better Bench Program, which takes place on Sunday, Sept. 14,
includes sessions on new discoveries of the possibilities and uses
for pulse arc welding (such as joining dissimilar metals, like
titanium and iron with gold), demystify the lost-wax casting
process, saving time by designing wax modelsto incorporate findings,
tips for modifying tools, and repairing and restoring cabochons.
Presenters include Sessin Durgham, an award-winning designer and
member of the technical support team at Rio Grande in Albuquerque,
New Mexico; Daniel Grandi, owner of RaceCar Jewelry Co., a
full-service investment casting and finishing shop in Pawtucket,
Rhode Island; and David Baird, a jewelry maker and lapidary expert
who has sold his work nationally andteaches classes and workshops
around New England.
Attendees can register and learn more about classes and exhibitors
here: http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ep81ki
Hope to see you there!
Corrie Silvia Berry