Thank you, Sharon Scalise, for your well-written post about these
materials. It was funny, too! I would add that I think that those who
use these, or any other materials should learn to love them for
exactly what they are, and be proud to call them by their right
names. I know that it takes some education of the customers to get
them with the program on this, and some never will accept new
materials, but I still would stick by my materials and tell it like
it is.
I like Corian, a resin or plastic material that kitchen countertops
are made of. I got some scraps of it from out of date samples from a
kitchen store, and made some brooches of it, combined with Sterling.
Some customers liked it, but most were turned off when they found out
that the material which looked like granite was actually plastic. But
I pointed out that the material did things that granite could never
do, like be comfortably light in the sizes I was using, and be tough
enough to hold itself in a very thin, pointed carving. The pieces did
sell, to customers who understood what I was talking about. So I say,
stick by your materials truthfully!
M’lou Brubaker, Jeweler
Goodland, MN