[Welcome] New Members for June 7, 2013

Orchid Circulation: 13,000 members!

Please welcome our newest members…

Najmah Shamsiddeen
Chicago, Illinois. USA

Hi, I’m new to metalsmithing and would like to do research on
various techniques.

Tony Cipriano
Thousand Oaks, CA. USA

My journey starts in Italy where I was born. Grew up in Port
Chester, NY. At age 22 headed west, landing in Albuquerque, NM.
There a jeweler friend noticed my clay creations & offered to teach
me jewelry making. I became his apprentice & after a couple of years
started working on my own designs that had evolved as my skills
improved These included scroll wirework, chasing & repousse,
piercing, basic stone setting, and simple granulation.

… I also worked for various jewelry companies learning various
Jewelry techniques. Among these were rubber mold and model making,
along with various casting skills and more advanced stone setting.
Basically I was designing, executing, and selling my gold and silver
jewelry at Arts & Crafts shows & in various Galleries as well as
custom work.

My style can be called eclectic. I created the usual pieces of
jewelry: rings, bracelets, earrings, brooches and pendants. I also
designed many unique pieces. Among those are : hairpieces,
stickpins, bolos, squash blossoms, belt buckles, necklaces,
armbands, boxes and even 2 crowns.

I married and my wife was also involved in the arts and crafts life.
After the birth of my two daughters were born finances became an
issue. Even with a degree from GIA in Jewelry Manufacturing Arts I
eventually had to make a career change.

Of course I never lost my passion for Jewelry making and after over
two decades I have resumed making jewelry, although on a smaller
scale. Now I am seeking to return to the jewelry community.

Charlotte Barnard
Santa Barbara, CA. USA

I am a flameworker first and a silversmith second, but am enjoying
metalsmithing more these days. I enjoy pushing my skill boundaries
and experimenting with techniques and construction. Am often told by
customers that they have never seen anything like my work, and that
is the point, isn’t it?

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