Seeding Orchid

Jewelry Discussion
1

Dear Orchid subscriber;

In an effort to restore the supportive athmosphere Orchid was always
famous for, we are seeking your help.

It is our wish to keep Orchid vibrant and alive, a place to learn,
to seek advise, to connect and make new friends, a place to dismantle
the traditions of secrecy and not sharing found globally
in the jewelry world. It is a place of exchange, lively
debate and documentation. Orchid is about community and sharing. It
is through this access to each other that we all learn and improve
production and our business. It is about making jewelers lives
easier and safer.

Your participation is highly important to the future success of the
Orchid forums you grew to love, so please submit a new post today!

Let us know what project you are working on, if you are having
technical issues feel free to seek friendly and professional advise.
share your work, let us see what is cooking on your bench, consult
with your Orchid friends.

You can also share your jewelry-making techniques and tips, pictures
of your work, your design thoughts, discuss Art Shows you have
participated in, or museums you have visited, just for starters.
Jewelry Schools can cover events, classes and happenings within their
facility. Businesses can use Orchid as a channel to distribute their
press releases, company announcements and provide their staff with a
chance to share their passion for their work with the rest of the
industry.

Do not hesitate nor fear harsh criticism, thousands of members are
out there ready to share their experience with you.

Both Ton and myself are monitoring everything that comes in before
it gets sent back out to the list, and its our job to keep the forum
healthy and maintain the integrity of the content. We work hard to
keep the general athmosphere supportive and constructive.

Your participation is highly important to the future success of the
Orchid forums we all cherish. so please, post today

Thank you for being with us
Hanuman and Ton

2

Hello Hanuman and Ton

I agree that it would be sad if the efforts you and others have put
into Ganoksin were to come to an end.

I am glad that stricter editing of issues is to be imposed as I
found the last two prolonged unpleasant exchanges, well, unfortunate.

I have the impression that there has been an drop off in the number
of posts.

I have not been contributing much lately as I have been away and
unable to find the time.

Anyway I do appreciate your efforts and will try to do more to help
where I can.

David Cruickshank

3

Dear Ton and Hanuman,

Thank you for doing such a terrific (and I imagine at times, tedious)
job and for today’s email to the Orchid community that defines so
clearly what your intention is and what Orchid is. Don’t ever doubt
that Orchid has become invaluable to the community it has created.

In the spirit of gratefulness, I want you to know how much what you
do is appreciated.

Linda Kaye-Moses

4

Thank you, Hanuman and Ton, your recent post has encouraged me to
respond for the first time. I so enjoy Orchid and have learned an
incredible amount from the experienced and generous members of the
forum. But, as a beginner, I have hesitated to comment or ask
questions because of the negative blasts that have come back to
others. So I have been one of those ‘lurkers’. But, I’ll be braver
going forward and comment and question more. Lord knows, I can use
the suggestions and support this forum can offer. Thanks again for
managing this forum, and encouraging everyone to interact. And to
other forum members, you’ll be hearing more from me in the future.
Darlene

5

Nothing to report now, except. Orchid every morning with coffee. All
comments and personalities are welcome to me. Learning learning

6

Thank you. I love Ganoksin and will do my best to post!

carianne

7

Dear Hanuman and Ton I’m really happy with you help your Web is
excellent I hope continued growing And for sure the next year I’m
going to give some donation this last 2 years I have a lot of
problems and sadness continued you project whit the same love. Atte
Estela Hidalgo Escultora.

8 
Nothing to report now, except. Orchid every morning with coffee.
All comments and personalities are welcome to me. Learning learning

Dear Darling, what a great name, and hope that you have lived up to
it. Welcome from Alaska, i too have spent almost every morning going
through the Orchid letters and have learned so much, blessings pat

9

Hello Hanuman and Ton,

Thanks for your efforts in maintaining a healthy, positive and
educational forum. If I have offended anyone, my abject apologies
are now offered. Orchid has been, and is, a wonderful exchange and
opportunity to interact with many gifted jewelers. I especially enjoy
seeing the amazing work others have shared.

Judy in Kansas, who is about to get her flu immunization. Consider
this a reminder for those of you in the northern hemisphere of the
Americas.

10

I am not really a jeweler, my first piece (pierced sterling in a
ginkgo leaf design, with a pyrite veined lapis stone in the center)
got a first place in the county fair and I also got a commission
from a client and a couple of other pieces and that is it. I am
however a metal worker in that I do ass aspects of casting bronze
sculpture (from molds to finished, based bronzes). My love, my life,
my wife Cynthia Thomas, is a LONG time jeweler now bronze artist
(why I am in bronze work) and also does pastels (every day) and
mixed media as well as being an Art Therapist. I also do a lot of
welding (TIG and Mig), plasma work and I have a unit that sprays
metal on most any surface (most any metal in wire form).

I read many of the posts on Orchid often gathering
thoughts and ideas that I can uses my varied work and occasionally I
can offer some thought or idea to a person on this site in need of
such, and I am MOST happy to do this.

We all are here on this Earth for a relatively short time and we can
do what ever it is we do. One of the things I see as being my
addition to mankind’s being here, is helping others in what ever
direction or journey they are on. If my field of knowledge or
thought can or might be of someones help or assistance, I am most
happy and willing to give them what I know in hopes that it might
help them move forward in their life’s direction and towards their
goal, what ever that might be.

So this is one forum I am on, dealing with folks working in metal
and stone and art. My other favorite group is the “Sandbox”, an e
mail group of metal artists. These are the 2 “lists” I am sure to
read on a daily basis, and the 2 lists that have been the greatest
influence on me over the years. I hope I have been a positive
influence on some of those on both of these lists.

Thank you Ton, Hanuman and all the others on this list for being and
adding to my life directions.

joh. dach
mlce.net (check out what all we both are doing)

11 
In an effort to restore the supportive atmosphere Orchid was
always> famous for, we are seeking your help.

Correction here, please… Orchid has not stopped being a
supportive atmosphere for the sharing of and experience.
It appears that the freedom of expression allowed here has recently
been used by a few articulate participants to substitute their
perceived expertise and perceived necessary criticism for simple
courtesy. The restoration of any fouled atmosphere rests with the
readers, and it thankfully appears that there is a limited tolerance
for snarky behavior cloaked in the guise of ‘advice to the not quite
competent’. I believe that one of the beauties of this forum is the
range of its participants and readers…in age, gender, expertise,
ability, energy, intelligence;a mingling of the most erudite,
successful, educated and talented with the wonder of any untutored
person starting on the road to who knows where and fearlessly
exposing any ignorance they hope to amend with questions they’ve
asked as well as they could, and, everybody in between. The nice,
clear, flowing, bubbling brook of community and sharing of
that you’ve created and facilitated is more than able to
withstand the muddying of a few poorly chosen comments. Harsh
criticism, or the possibility of same, hardly has a place in the
balance of the value to be gained here. Thanks for maintaining your
integrity and concern for your readers! (Forty years at the bench,
and an Orchid reader from the beginning)

12

Thank you for all your time to allow us to share positive things
with others.

13 
The nice, clear, flowing, bubbling brook of community and sharing
of that you've created and facilitated is more than
able to withstand the muddying of a few poorly chosen comments.

That is so true Ruth. I get so wrapped up in my little niche of the
business that after so many years of it I start thinking that’s all
there is. Orchid acts as a refreshing, often uplifting window into
the studios and shops of people who are doing things that I would
love to do. I’m endlessly fascinated by the collective mind, problem
solving aspect of Orchid. Often it’s the least experienced among us
that offers the freshest take on the solution.

I think most of us automatically dismiss those who discredit others
or insist that there is only one way to do a thing. We know better
than that and as corny as it sounds, we focus on what is good.

Mark

14

Harsh criticism? here on this forum?
Not an easy thing to do well, but has its place.

Much easier if you have the errant person in front of you, of
course, being either a pupil, or student or apprentice.

None of these have the automatic right to our hard won knowhow.

The tacit agreement between the master and the pupil is that the
latter is expected, to shut up, complete the latest task set them,
and do as they are told.

When they have done well, then its praise.

Its when they step way out of line, that the harsh approach is
justified.

Ie, stick and carrot.

Anyone that has had the benefit of the average initial military
training, will remember that harsh criticism was the mildest
treatment you recieved from the drill sargeant!! The punishment needs
to fit the crime.

Anyone wanting to become a jeweller or goldsmith has set their
sights high.

Before anyone can interpret the medium they have to master the
techniques, assuming they have some talent.

For example, how many years does one need to practice and study to
play the piano or the violin? and interpret Chopin’s revolutionary
study, or any of the more demanding violin concherto’s? To design,
make and market ones own work retail, demands a wide range of skills,
not easily available from schools colleges or the like.

The only place youll get this kind of training is from someone who
is successful in all these areas.

If your lucky to get an apprenticeship from them.

Walt disney’s sorcerers’s apprentice is a good example of harsh
treatment.

Anyone remember seeing it? In his film Fantasia.

15

Thank you, Hanuman and Ton for creating a space which which all
interested in sharing what they do and what they learn are welcome.
To operate a place that is open to the world, and yet in the English
language represents a challenge to so many people and I was trying to
believe that was the source of some problems for some people but
there is a fine line between looking for the better nature and
deluding myself. Actions speak louder than words. Please know that
your efforts are appreciated in helping so many people learn more
about making better jewelry. The pursuit of excellence in any
endeavour is forever that - a pursuit. Once we begin to believe that
we have reached it, our mojo dies.

Barbara on a winter sky day on the Island, foretelling of the cold
that will come.

16

Hi there,

Orchid has been absolutely invaluable for me in my career as a
metalsmithing jewelry artist. Aside from a one week class I took at
the Nova school in Chiang Mai, Thailand around 12 years ago, and a 6
week colored stone grading class at AIGS Bangkok I have learned
everything I know from experience and the Orchid. I can still find
posts of mine about how to solder from many years ago. It seems kind
of silly now but if I hadn’t had someone to answer my dumb questions
back then I might have just gotten frustrated and given up. And now
I have my own shop and a fairly thriving business. So I have been
trying to answer at least as many questions as Iask now that I feel
I’ve learned enough to help those who need it, even ifthey seem like
basic questions. There is always more to learn and it’s up to us all
to share our knowledge. Thank you all for helping me so much overthe
years, i intend to try to do the same for others.

Happy Friday :slight_smile:
Douglas

17

Dear Hanuman and Ton,

thank you for this message.

I live in Italy and am just an artisan, a self taught artisan that
has learned to master various techniques thanks to the same spirit
you are tryingto convey with your site. The spirit of sharing.

I sometimes read some articles on your web site and I have always
found them interesting, very interesting.

Thank you very much for your engagement and for your time

Dora
from Sicily!

18

Spirit of Orchid

Hi all

Orchid and its forums remind me of a saying from traditional Chinese
wisdom.

The master says,

‘There are no masters. We are all students.’

After 40 years of making jewellery, I learn something everyday from
Orchid.

Now matter how simple or complex the question there are those who
are happy to give advice.

So newbies seek and you shall find.

This is a site that has absolute newbies to master gem setters.

WE WELCOME YOU ALL.

Richard

19

I enjoy reading Orchid and appreciate all the work that goes into
maintaining it.

Although I have read why you feel it important to maintain it as an
e-mail blog, I can’t help but wonder how much more useful & most
importantly, more frequently USED, it would be, if is was a true web
based forum.

There are lots of examples out there to look at, and I even bet you
might get volunteers to help set it up (sorry, not my expertise).

I see Ganoksin as an informative site where I can read articles and
others experience, I see Orchid as a chat, and wish it was more.

Patty
Live Oak Studios

20

I want to echo the reaction to some excellent work we have seen
posted lately. It is truly humbling to see what creative and
technically fine work is being done by our fellow metalsmiths.
Inspiring! Thanks for creating this forum - I read it every day.

Leslie Chapman