Techniques vs Design

Jewelry Discussion
21

I think that a basic sterling silver gemstone ring consisting of a
cabochon and half round wire is predictable as far as technique goes
(also, to address the tangent, no one can say I stole their design
when I make one). Same goes for any basic ring or even a box set
ring. We’re looking at predictable technique. Basic gemstone
pendants with a gemstone in a bezel with a bail can only find
variation in bail design. Carve the bezel and it becomes unique.

As we progress into more advanced design we gain more room for
expression. Technique becomes less predictable.

That does not mean that I will not accidentally create and execute a
design that has already been created. As in the life of a music
composer, I will create a passage that, note for note, will
correspond to a passage written by another composer out of sheer
chance. And, if one adheres to the idea of a Universal Consciousness
(Or the Akashic Record) I will create something already created and
if I do not, someone will create something parallel to my object
almost spontaneously.

My wife developed a technique of linking wire coils into a chain
only to discover that it was a technique used by civilization over
3500 years ago. I developed a system of knotting off leather strip on
wooden staves only to discover that it was a traditional Native
American technique. It is an argument that we cannot, as instruments
of the divine, ever be original because we are only channeling the
impulses of the divine. I’m not sure that’s always true, but the more
we create the less chance their is of being unique, especially when
we adhere to a certain medium.

Lead, Silver, Gold, Platinum all have their restrictions dictated by
their molecular structures and all will be predictable within their
range of characteristics. However, the possibilities of further
adornment is only limited by the threshold of structural integrity.
One does not want to undermine structure with adornment. Within
that. the medium is predictable.

It’s all much like posing a question on Orchid: you often get the
same response from different people and you know you will. But
sometimes a unique question comes along. And sometimes, a unique
answer.

TL Goodwin
Lapidary/Metalsmith

22 
However scientific ideas are considered intellectual property and
taking somebody's idea is disrespected in the same way as in art.

I believe there is a conflation of using someone else idea and
claiming a credit for it, and using someone else idea and giving
credit to the author. I advocate later, but not the former. We would
still be chopping trees with stone axes, if if an author of an idea
retained ownership and rights of usage.

Leonid Surpin

23

Seems we all start with the “a”, “b”, “c” that our origins dictate…
We copy each symbol on rice paper or newsprint with lines and dotted
lines. Above the base line, below. Looking closely. Writing
laboriously. Again and again. Over the years, the profit of a variety
of influences (sugar, art school, curiosity, etc) becomes evident,
and we each develop - from those same “tools” - a signature that is
uniquely our own. (Or not. Some will only ever choose to be Palmer
Method People!)

Randi

PS It’s Christmas at The Ranch – I am still getting boxes and boxes
of amazing new things. Thanks isn’t enough!!

24 
Your thoughts are helixes very good, worth more thought and
playing.

jeff, that is one of my many design ideas that has never been done,
except by myself, and that i have reservations about giving away,
even though it’s simple enough to stumble across if you deal with
them, like having alot of springs together, it’s about physics,
not designs, the physics is the design, dave

25 
I will create a passage that, note for note, will correspond to a
passage written by another composer out of sheer chance.

BTW, there was a song “All by Myself”, by Leo Sayer as I recall.
(Personally can’t stand it…) That IS one of Rachmaninov’s piano
concertos (I think #3, but I forget…) Note for note…

There was a discussion once about Hollywood, and the question was
asked, “Why do movies come in clusters?” 5 films about single mothers
with a club foot, 3 about train robbers with cleft palates, etc. The
conclusion was that there is mostly no plagiarism or copying, it’s
just that we all live in the same world. Some story aboout a mother
with a cub foot inpires three writers, each with their own take on
the situation. In other words, chance, but we all live in the same
world. Just interesting…

26 
Your thoughts are helixes very good, worth more thought and
playing.

jeff, when you "play " with these helicoid/helix design
possibilities, i would appreciate an “uncle” when new motifs for
design roll in, not that you or john have any idea of what i am
talking about, but you will if you look i also would like the mark
on the back, showing where it came from soulwood designs, but it
wasn’t me, i just channel it

nothing is really new. The best you can do is to try make it your
own style and smile.

jeff this is a decent stand i suppose, but it is not true at all,
there are many many brandy new things that are yet to be discovered
in any field, dave

27

Dave,

Like snow flakes or leaves, near infinite variations. Two start or 4
start threads, left or right combined or many other possibilities.
Straight math and physics used as a basis for design.

My helix design ring was based on plain old DNA, hardly anything
new. Something you can get with just a minor graver slip :slight_smile:

jeffD
Demand Designs
Analog/Digital Modelling & Goldsmithing
http://www.gmavt.net/~jdemand

28

This is mostly in response to Michael Johnson’s post, and probably
not in keeping with the orriginal question, but that seems to be the
nature of how these threads evolve.

I live in Albuquerque and attend a jewelry lab with several others
twice a week. I am relatively new to the area and bring a different
style and different skill set. Most of everyone’s work is done in
the style of Southwest Indian jewelry, influenced no doubt by the
locality. My work mixes faceted stones with cabochons and uses
outlines of varying shapes, as well as piercing. I consider myself a
hobbyist. My pieces don’t necessarily all look alike. My fellow
attendees think I have some design secret, when in reality, I just
didn’t learn my skills under the influence of the area. I look at
everything I can in the jewelry field; every catalog of junkie?
jewelry or general catalog, every how-to magazine I come across,
every jewelry store I can tour. Am I stealing ideas? No. I am
looking for inspiration!? Most of the attendees are content to stay
in their box of the SW style, yet they are always commenting on my
work. They say they don’t have the patience to do piercing. (One gal
even asked me if I used a craft knife to cut out the interior design
on some 20 gauge sheet metal earrings!? And she has a wholesale
license and sells her jewelry!)?

My point is, design shouldn’t be stagnant!? Why would someone who
wrote an article/project for a magazine not expect someone (or more
likely several someones) to produce something remotely like the
design they presented. isn’t that the point!? Wouldn’t it be very
disapointing if the article was so blah that no one tried it? They
were financially compensated. If someone started mass producing the
thing, that would be another matter. As to techniques, if I learned
to make chains (something that looks pretty much the same, even when
the size or pattern vary, and really only has a limited range of
variations that would easily spring into someones mind) from
someone, would I be obligated to forever credit the person or
magazine I learned chainmaking from?

We all gather skills and ideas over time. Hopefully our designs
reflect our journey. While it might be the height of arrogance to
say all our designs are orriginal it would also be arrogant to think
that when someone’s work looks similar to ours that the only way
that could happen would be if they stole our ideas.

Theresa Bright
Bright’s Fantasy

29

Theresa Bright,

Yes, that was my thinking. Someone who publishes a tutorial, whether
in a blog, magazine, or in a classroom, should be aware that they
are giving away that design. But, for someone publishing such, it
might not be fully realized what the impact might be.

Some buy these mags, follow blogs, or take classes because they lack
the creativity to figure out how to do these things on their own.
Not all, but some. And, some teachers regiment their students
creations to the point where everyone makes the same thing. This to
me is lazy teaching, and this can stagnate the wrong impression into
the minds of the creatively challenged as well. I have taught a few
one-on-one classes with students, stressing creativity, allowing
them to draw the design and coach them through making an original
work from sketch to finish, but they still call asking what exact
gauge, what exact measurement, what bur, which tells me that they
just didn’t get it, LOL.

Although, I don’t copy works, and I don’t believe that copying is
consciously done by most creative jewelers, I do think that it is
done by those who see the art as a craft such as needle point or
crochet, where you buy a magazine to follow a pattern exactly or
even music where you feel like you have learned your instrument by
how well you can copy someone else’s song. Or, cooking by a recipe
that someone else has created. It’s just a mindset. But, when a
designer publishes his or her recipe they need to keep in mind that
there will be those who stick to that recipe down to the type and
size of stone used. And, these copy folks will think that they are
baking a wonderful cake and show it off to the world as theirs.

This is why tutorials and blogs that discuss exacts attract the most
readers. If a recipe read as “a pinch of this” and maybe “a splash
of that” this would weed out the unimaginative. Or, if I offered a
class on riveting, where the students just riveted 100 rivets into
two square pieces of scrap metal, soldering with just random chunks,
or forging, which just twisted a piece of metal, no one would take
the course. It would be like taking a cooking class that focused on
stirring, without making anything to eat :o)

Whether these crafters are in the right or wrong is moot. Not
everyone who is capable of buying metal and a hammer is going to
understand these concepts. I have been in education for 13 years,
and I understand that no matter what the subject is, age of the
student, or cultural background, not everyone comprehends on the
same level. However, this is why our “survival of the fittest”
market is set up as it is. The best and most creative will bring top
dollar for their works as original to the informed market. And, the
copy cat crafters will make enough to cover their booth fee at the
flea market.

But, I would encourage all teachers to make an effort to teach
elements of design and creativity. This is why I only teach
metalsmithing one-on-one. As an art teacher, I can focus on the
skills of the craft while also giving as much attention to the
creative process. However, we all have to understand that some
people are just not going to get it.

Michael Johnson
http://cosmicfolklore.ganoksin.com/blogs/
http://cosmicfolklore.com/

30 
There was a discussion once about Hollywood, and the question was
asked, "Why do movies come in clusters?" 5 films about single
mothers with a club foot, 3 about train robbers with cleft palates,
etc. The conclusion was that there is mostly no plagiarism or
copying, it's just that we all live in the same world.

This sounds like the “meme” concept whereby the same idea occurs
independently to numerous minds. I have definitely noticed this
happening with “new” themes being taken up by several related
artists without discussion between them. Occasionally we share sheets
of photo-etching between 4 or 5 jewellers (once or twice a year with
a professional etching company) and the work often shows similar
progressions in ideas, subject matter or for example 3 people once
included rings for the first time without prior discussion.

It’s a small world!

Wikipedia definition: A meme (pronounced /mim/ - rhyming with
“dream”), a postulated unit or element of cultural ideas, symbols or
practices, gets transmitted from one mind to another through speech,
gestures, rituals, or other imitable phenomena.

31 
I only teach metalsmithing one-on-one.

Hi, Michael, I am curious how/where you get the opportunity to do
this, and how in can be affordable for the student and worthwhile for
you (or anyone else who does it). Is it in your own studio? If so,
how do you deal with liability issues, and how do you deal with
allowing someonw access to your “sanctum”?

Noel

32

Noel-

I am curious how/where you get the opportunity to do this, and how
in can be affordable for the student and worthwhile for you (or
anyone else who does it). Is it in your own studio? If so, how do
you deal with liability issues, and how do you deal with allowing
someonw access to your "sanctum"?

Michael will have to answer your questions but for the past several
years, I’ve been taking twice weekly sessions with a local master
silversmith at his studio since I no longer have my own studio (and
I’m not permitted to have my kiln or torches, etc., in my apartment).
The price is quite low. We both share a large bench and when I don’t
need any guidance or help, he does his own work, but he’s always
there if I need him. I’m an experienced metalsmith and I have all of
my own tools and equipment but he tells me that his beginning
students do very well.

There are sessions where we hardly say a word to each other and he’s
able to do three hours of his own work which is the reason for his
charging so little.

One of the nicest things that anyone has ever said to me was his
parting comment last week. He said, “I’m learning so much from you.
It’s a real treat for me.”

In addition to his vast skills, he knows thousands of limericks by
heart. Can’t beat that for entertainment value.

Marly

33 
I live in Albuquerque and attend a jewelry lab with several others
twice a week. I am relatively new to the area and bring a
different style and different skill set. Most of everyone's work is
done in the style of Southwest Indian jewelry, influenced no doubt
by the locality.

Hello Theresa; I also live in Albuquerque and wasn’t aware of any
groups, when and where do you all meet?

Thanks…Frankenstein

34

To all - so now that the community has established that many
techniques will result in a predictable design , anticlastic
raising, southwest style, and on and on.

I am going to comment on workshops and people who host them for a
price, attendance fee or whatever definition one would like to put
on money changing hands prior to, during or after the workshop.

Persons recieving money to teach techniques at a workshop are
selling This means you are providing a product for
consumption.

Persons using the words, sharing techniques, in the context of
accepting financial compensation for teaching techniques they
demonstrate are misleading those that are paying to attend the
workshop. SELL / SHARE two different words two different concepts.

There is no way around these truths or concepts, those teaching
workshops have an ethical responsibility to those who pay you for
help & to reach thier desired goals.

Any person who desires to protect thier designs should not teach a
paid workshop using designs they wish to retain exclusive use of, as
examples, of how to execute a technique.

A jewelry artist has the ethical responsibility to themselves & those
they wish to teach to develop the technique they are selling at a
workshop beyond a point of certain versatility other words the
technique should be able to produce a variety of design results

best regards goo

35 
I am curious how/where you get the opportunity to do this, and how
in can be affordable for the student and worthwhile for you (or
anyone else who does it). Is it in your own studio? If so, how do
you deal with liability issues, and how do you deal with allowing
someonw access to your "sanctum"?

Reluctantly! LOL.

Actually, I’d much rather have another teacher come in to teach in
my studio. Although, I have had some real screwballs come in, the
kind that teach everyone the same thing. I would love to have some
of the metalsmiths from here come in someday. Someone who is willing
to discuss design and composition and not just have everyone make
the same design. With a good teacher, I can always fill classes.

It is not affordable. I have to make back what I would loose by not
producing. But, I still get the occasional person willing to pay. As
for liability, isn’t that an issue whether it is 1, 5, or 100
students? As for my inner sanctum, yes, I am not comfie with it. But,
I have my 9 year old drawing wire and weaving in her corner, while
my 12 year old cuts cabs to my specs and pierces designs for me. We
are a family team here, so I am used to people being around. I am
just not completely comfortable with students there.

But, every time I post a sign saying no more classes, someone waves
a stack of bills in my face. So, I just keep quiet and hope for a
great teacher to travel through.

Michael Johnson
http://cosmicfolklore.ganoksin.com/blogs/
http://cosmicfolklore.com

36

I agree totally with Goo. I give workshops, and charge a fee. I am
delighted if the participants use what I have taught when they make
their own creations. I have given many workshops over the years, and
although participants have used the techniques and processes that I
taught, I am amazed at how creative they are in using their own ideas
and designs. I have never had any of them copy any of my designs.
They have their own wonderful ideas, and interestingly enough, each
person’s creation is quite different from that of others who have
taken the workshops.

Alma Rands

37

Goo, I totally agree with you. I only bring examples of a technique
that I am teaching knowing full well that there is the possiblility
of it being copied. The workshops that I teach are technique and
project driven. I always stress that the student should use the
techniques that they learn to expand their designing concepts.

Monica

38

Greetings all:

I’ve been watching the teaching/design conversations. It seems that
there are two camps. The first camp believes that instructors teach
a technique, and what the student later does with it is entirely up
to them. If they choose to copy the sample piece, or riff on it,
that’s annoying but OK. The other camp believes that the techniques
are particular to the instructor, and the student has a
responsibility to leave ‘their’ design alone. Apologies if my
paraphrasing doesn’t match the exact subtleties of the argument this
time around. It rolls around every year or so, and I’ve seen a number
of variations on it. I’ve always had a sense that both sides of the
argument were missing something, but I haven’t had an opportune bout
of insomnia previously to give me time to ponder just what was
bugging me about the whole ‘this design is mine!’ argument.

I teach adult-ed, and have for the past 10+ years, after spending a
couple of years doing the vagabond instructor routine for undergrad
metals programs around the country after grad-school. My Monday
afternoon advanced class has come to be known as ‘Brian’s
mad-science show’. I’ve got a solid core group of very smart people
who have a solid skill-set. This means I can let my hair down and
play with them. I take requests, and the topic changes from term to
term, depending on what they want to do.

This term, we’re doing chasing. I did a lot of chasing in school,
and I still do a bit now, when I can afford the time. I was about
mid-way through a demo yesterday when it hit me: “Yeah, I do chase in
’my’ work, but what I’m teaching them isn’t even close to one of my
pieces” I’ve got them doing some basic “make lines and recessed
volumes” sort of work on a hydraulically puffed sample piece. The
idea is to show them how the tools work, and to give them a chance
to play around before they get more serious about designing a real
piece. When I designed the sample piece, I sat down and thought
about how I wanted to explain the motion of the metal, and the use of
the tools. From that, I designed a piece that would force them to use
a variety of tools, in a variety of different ways. The design isn’t
anything I would ever do for a ‘real’ piece of mine, it’s designed
to force the students to use their tools in particular ways. In
similar vein, the ‘sawframe torture test’ I use with intro kids
learning to saw isn’t a real piece, it’s a nasty little jigsaw puzzle
of straight lines, hard corners, curves, spirals and skinny little
arms. The point being to give them a project that will force them to
push their use of the saw into areas they wouldn’t normally explore.
With the more advanced students, if they want to just copy my design,
they’ve still learned something, which is the entire point. They’ll
come out with a perfectly nice little pendant, but it’s not something
I’d do when I’m being me. I’ve spent a lifetime building up skills,
so my ‘real’ pieces may use every trick in the book…or they may
not. They may be very simple, technically. It depends on what the
design needs.

For a workshop or class project focused on technique “X”, I set up
the sample pieces to be challenges in the application of technique
"X". The majority of the design prompt is to focus on technique “X”,
and to set up situations that will force the students to use their
tools in new ways to get done. That’s wildly different than the way I
design when I’m not setting up a teaching project, so the final
pieces bear little resemblance to my ‘real’ work.

What’s bugging me is the idea of people teaching workshops based
around their own production work, rather than designs that are set
up to teach a certain technique.

My reaction to that is “well, of course they’re copying your
design, that’s all you taught them how to do!”

Rather than focusing on the ‘responsibility’ of the student not to
’rip-off’ the instructor’s style, shouldn’t we be paying more
attention to the instructor’s responsibility to present the
technique as clearly, and with as much focus as possible? If any one
of you out there sit down to design a piece where the main concern is
that it be a series of challenges in the application of a specific
technique, I very much doubt that the end result will have any
relation to your bread-and-butter pieces. Looked at in that light,
the whole ‘ripping off my design’ argument becomes moot.

Regards,
Brian Meek.

39

Hooray Brian!!? You really pegged the problem. I guess that is what
I was trying to say about the person who considered themselves a
jeweler when they are intimidated by using a saw. Thankfully, all my
teachers have required work that was challenging. Knowing how to do
something and being able to teach it effectively, are two totally
different things!? Thanks for your concise statements, and even
though I have never had you for a teacher, and most likely won’t
have the opportunity, thank you for being a teacher that challenges
their students!

Theresa Bright
Bright’s Fantasy

40

Michael,

This is totally off subject, but I’d like to mention that I think
it’s really cool how you have your kids getting into the business!

(And you need to link people to your DA page as well!)

LJ
Dreaming Dragon Designs
http://www.dreamingdragondesign.deviantart.com