Jewelry design is unique to
individual crafstman. Each of us has a "taste", sense of aesthetics and
imagination that results in our particular style. It is important to
see the craftsman's "ware" to get
a feel for their unique style. While each of us have different designs,
there is always a touch of us in
each of the pieces we make. Having said that, there is a similar process
we all go through to reach
and end design.
First, is the design concept itself. This may come from images found
in nature, other pieces I
remember seeing or a particular idea a customer has provided. In the
end, I must meld this
information to fit my style, my abilities, my desire for funtionality and
my sense of beauty.
Once the concept is born, I usually make a quick sketch of the idea. This
helps me obtain a vision of
what the end results might be. It my case it is not a detailed drawing
to be used as a plan of
fabrication. It is simply a rough visual aid that allows me to do three
things:
a) decide if the concept has merit as a piece of finished
jewelry.
b) estimate what materials will best provide a sound structure
and beauty in the piece.
c) estimate the cost of materials and labor to produce
the piece.
Once these questions have been answered, the actual process begins. I
must choose the many
different techniqes that could be used to produce the concept, decide which
are best to use and
the order in which I must apply them to "build" the jewelry.
I make jewelry because I like to work with my hands. I constantly look
for new ideas and new
techniques I can learn to improve my profession. I look forward to
creating someone's ideas
and seeing or hearing of the satisfaction they receive when they first see
the end result. I have
been lucky that others like my work, but even if I didn't sell a piece, I
would continue making them.
It's who I am.