Silversmithing 101

I cannot quite believe it . . . I’m stepping into my 34th year of business, & what a journey it's been!  Honestly, if I had known what I was getting into I don’t think I would have taken the leap.  But I was young and naive, and I thought I could just make jewelry and sell it.  Simple, right?  Apparently, I was at least somewhat right, as I still make jewelry . . . and I still sell it.  

Life at the studio has changed quite a bit. I started without a computer; the world wide web was a thing for scientists.  We used cameras with film and applied to art events with slides (boy, was THAT expensive).  Nowadays, we have a website & social media and keep track of everything on multiple office computers.  

But some things don’t change much. I have a drawer called “Designs,” and it is full of paper jewelry designs.  I was digging through it recently for something and kept stumbling on designs I miss making. However, I don’t miss wearing big heavy earrings from the 80’s and early 90’s. Sadly, I have lost the very first pair of earrings that I made in my “Intro to Silversmithing” class during my sophomore year in college, but I have the design!  So a re-create was in order . . . same design, a bit smaller, and with thinner sterling so that they are not so heavy.  

From that first pair of earrings to other beloved designs, I am recreating these old designs this October.  It is fun to walk down memory lane.  I remember a dear family friend had a much longed for baby, and I designed a pin for her and voila, the “Mother & Child Pin” became a staple of my line.  The re-create of this piece is a smaller “Mother & Child Necklace.”  Another time long ago I was trying to make a kinetic (object in motion) cross.  I never quite managed that, but in the process, I created a kinetic ichthus.  The two pieces of the fish hang independently on the chain and move around.  I just made one again . . . what fun!

So almost 34 years later, I still love making jewelry, which is how I got into this in the first place.  After that first day in my “Intro to Silversmithing” college course, I remember I called my parents to say, I want to be a silversmith when I grow up.  While I don’t claim to be entirely grown up, I am closer to retirement than before.  And, while I’m recreating some of my old designs, I am also doing some recreating of my business that allows me to spend less time at my computer and more time at my jewelry desk . . . because, after all, I LOVE being a silversmith.