I think we need to remember 1 thing, LJ isn’t interested in
lapidary or beads. It’s interested in making $$$. They’ll print
what sells advertising & subscriptions. Obvoiusly it’s a lot
cheaper to get into beading than lapidary or jewelry making.
Takes less skill & practice to string beads also. I’m sure
lampworking & other bead making can be as challenging as you want
to make it. The point is there are probably a lot more folks out
there that have the urge to buy a magazine or book that tells you
how to take several strands of assorted beads, a spool of thread
& turn it in to something th at your friends will admire. Let’
face it jewelry & lapidary do take a time commitment & cash for
tools & raw materials. We may not like it, but jewelers &
lapidaries are a minority, relative to beaders.
Dave
PS
I’d like to see more metalsmithing & faceting in LJ.
If you can’t facet it, crush it up for road rock!
We may not like it, but jewelers & lapidaries are a minority,
relative to beaders.
I have to agree with the above statement (although I often
wonder after applying to various shows! - G!)
look at it this way, folks- beaders are also purchasers of
jewelry, and if they buy LJ to see beady stuff, they will also
see gold and silver smith work. BTW, if you look at older LJ
issues, there wasn/t that much about “art” jewelry! anne
Regarding the controversy about LJ and beading, I would like to
suggest an “economic” response. If you don’t like it, don’t buy
it. If enough don’t buy, the LJ counter-response might well be
to find material that sells, and therefore possibly meet your
need. If they don’t respond in this way, perhaps someone might
become an entrepreneur, and create a product to meet this
obvious need. For someone with the right mix of knowledge and
skill, this seems an opportunity to me! Unfortunately, I don’t
have them. ;-(
Marrin Fleet
@Marrin_and_Mary_Dell
Back in one of the issues last spring there was a jewelry
article about inverse bezels in LJ that I showed to my studio
mate Ken, who adopted the technique and has done quite a number
of pieces incorporating the concept. In my mind, that one issue
has made the subscription worthwhile. Metalsmith is probably the
best magazine for an overview of the art of jewelry, but they are
not producing technical reports anymore.
Rick
Richard D. Hamilton
Fabricated 14k, 18k, and platinum Jewelry
wax carving, modelmaking, jewelry photography
http://www.rick-hamilton.com
@rick_hamilton
Back in one of the issues last spring there was a jewelry
article about inverse bezels…
Rick,
Am I correct in assuming that by inverse bezels you mean ones in
which you secure the stone from the back side?
Sharon
That’s right. I’ve noticed thin leather sheets on top of some of
my bezel blocks, so it looks like Ken has developed a procedure
he follows to produce these bezels. He has been ordering washers
stamped from various alloys from Stuller, and in fact showed me a
very nice inverse bezel ring today in sterling and 14k with a
peridot cab in the center.
Rick
Richard D. Hamilton
Fabricated 14k, 18k, and platinum Jewelry
wax carving, modelmaking, jewelry photography
http://www.rick-hamilton.com
@rick_hamilton
gosh, don’t know how to answer this one, i love looking at the
work of goldsmith and gemstone and cutting, and can
only wish i could do work like this. on the other hand, i have
been writing workshops for Lapidary Journal, there will be 4
this year, working with fine silver wire, 26,28 and
30gauges…and i crochet the works. i use beads to embellish my
designs, but it does take certain knowledge to produce the works
themselves. however, it is far from the work involved in lost
wax, and lapidary works.
i do enjoy all the articles, and have since before i started
with them. not sure how i vote on this! pat
pat moses-caudel
wild poppy designs…