Yes, it could be done, and should be done. I believe the
problem is that those in the academic arena have not reached out
to the commercial industry for mentoring metalsmithing students
because of fear it would compromise their art, and perhaps those
teachers don’t have commercial experience to begin with! Gail
Mark P.,
I have to say I got a chuckle out of this. If it’s not one
extreme, it’s another. GJ grads from GIA have been swung the
other way on the pendulum in recent years. (At least since the
move to Carlsbad–I can’t vouch for before that, as I don’t know
I’ve been told that GJ’s are too meticulous, and take too much
time. The GJ final requires that the test project (resizing and
setting) be perfect., resized, stones set and the whole
polished to a mirror shine. No pits, no gaps.
So what’s the consensus on what makes a good beginner hire?
Kat
@Kat_Tanaka
Please, please, please people! Jewelery is an art! >
Well, I agree and disagree with the above statement. Those who
cast thousands of “the same thing” are no longer doing art,
that’s known as mass production. Those who make “one of a kind”
(and not just variations of the same thing) are actually doing
“art” because it demands design, creativity (sp?) and handicraft.
Just my opinion . . .
I've been told that GJ's are too meticulous, and take too much time. The GJ final requires that the test project (resizing and setting) be *perfect*., resized, stones set and the whole polished to a mirror shine. No pits, no gaps.
Hi Kat,
I am certainly for, no pits, no gaps. There is a point where
someone is taking soooo long that the job is not getting any
better and you just are not making any money. I always try to
exceed the customers expectations. I did hire a GIA trained
goldsmith and thought he was puttsy, that was just his
personality I thought. He would spend twice as much time as
anyone else and his work was not as good. He would clean his
entire bench and wash his hands between each job. I could not
break him of his time wasting, unnecessary step taking habits.
They taught him things that were right on the money, but also
things that were just plain silly.
Mark P.
WI
Mark P. said that a GIA trained jeweler he hired would... [major snippage] clean his entire bench and wash his hands between each job. I could not break him of his time wasting, unnecessary step taking habits. They taught him things that were right on the money, but also things that were just plain silly.
Washing his hands between each job? We’re taught to wash
thoroughly between tripoli and rouge, but it’s simple enough to
do while you’re cleaning the piece anyway, so I’m not sure what
you mean by that…
As for cleaning his entire bench. Chortle. Guffaw. You should
see the student benches…we’re taught to clean out the pan
between jobs, but that’s so they can track our metal usage, and
it’s made pretty clear. I recall instructors talking about 1/2"
thick filings, etc., and suggesting that cleaning more often
makes it easier to find dropped stones, but what I understood
definitely sounds like a personal quirk…I knew a guy who
would consistently overpolish, and refused to work with tripoli
because of it…just sat at the rouge for an hour at a time.
Absolutely nuts, and they couldn’t train him out of it…
Kat Tanaka
(who’s working on getting faster…really)