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You Can Do It! Originally published by Lapidary Journal, March 2005 I'm no stranger to jewelry making. I've written about jewelry and gemstones for more than a decade, during which time I've learned enough to hold my own in discussions of everything from the metallurgy of platinum alloys to the merits of vacuum casting. I've seen the work of hundreds of designers, and toured dozens of workshops and factories. But for most of that time, I had never actually made a single piece of jewelry myself. That finally changed thanks to an invitation – or perhaps you might call it a dare – from Karen Christians, one of the founders of Metalwerx in Waltham , Massachusetts. It began with an interview, which ended, as many of my interviews do, with Christians asking me if I made jewelry. As usual, I laughed off the question, noting my natural clumsiness made me a poor candidate. But this time, my questioner wasn't willing to let me off the hook. "Come take a class with us," she insisted. The success of Metalwerx can largely be attributed to Christians' confidence that anyone can learn to make jewelry – even fumble-fingered writers. Originally incorporating a gallery as well as classroom space, the school's first home was in the downtown retail district of blue-collar Woburn, a town better known as the setting of the movie A Civil Action than for its artistic community. With such a location, Christians and her then-partner, Jennifer Bowie, knew a jewelry gallery featuring high-end, one-of-a-kind art jewelry would probably never get off the ground. "This was Woburn – [there were] 19 pizza parlors and 12 nail salons," observed Chris tians. "We knew [customers] were going to look at the higher end and get sticker shock." One solution was to offer pieces with lower price points, but a better answer seemed to be to educate potential customers about jewelry, to convince them it was worth their hard-earned cash to pay a little more for unique, American-made pieces. "[Our customers] are people who [normally] go to the mall for their jewelry needs," explained Chris tians. "Once they take a class, they become a more informed buyer because now they've gone through the process. They've seen a good pin back, they've seen a good solder seam." The idea of Metalwerx, the school, was born. As it turns out, it was the school that the locals – and not-so-locals – embraced most fully. After just a year in operation, Metalwerx moved across the street to larger quarters, significantly increasing the available classroom and studio space. It was to this second-floor classroom that I headed for my first workshop – a weekend soldering "boot camp." Metalwerx's introductory jewelry making class might have made a more logical place to begin, but Chris tians' enthusiasm had infected me, and I wasn't willing to wait until the next beginner's class was offered. "Do you think I could handle the soldering workshop?" I had asked Chris tians, and with only a slight hesitation – no doubt as she wondered what she'd gotten herself into -- she'd agreed. As the workshop began, the eight students gathered eagerly around Chris tians as she explained the principles of soldering and demonstrated the soldering exercises she had prepared for us. Listening, I realized that although I could converse knowledgeably about the metallurgy of soldering, I had absolutely no idea how to actually accomplish the task. Before long Chris tians turned us loose, to begin sawing, filing, and sanding our copper sheet and wire to prepare them for soldering. I bent to the task with a will. We worked at our own pace, Chris tians standing ready to examine a failed joint or successful seam, making suggestions and offering encouragement. The small class size and hands-on nature of the class encouraged camaraderie, and we chatted about our backgrounds and jewelry ambitions while we attempted to file our copper pieces so the fit together exactly. It was good the company was so good, because getting the copper to fit together just so was a lot harder than it looked. Wielding the torch was easier than I anticipated, but getting the solder through the joint to form a strong seam proved challenging. It wasn't long before all of us had successfully completed our first solder seam, a wavy piece of copper sheet soldered upright onto a flat rectangle of copper. The next exercises were more challenging, and it took me several tries to get a proper solder joint on my second piece, a small copper tube soldered to a flat piece of sheet. Success brought with it a flush of triumph, despite the relative simplicity of the exercise. Overall, the workshop was the type of relaxing, enjoyable experience that I came to discover characterized classes at Metalwerx. From the beginning jewelry class – where I managed to construct a slightly off-center, but entirely wearable band ring with bezel-set sodalite – to master repousse artist Valentin Yotkov 's advanced workshop in chasing and repousse, instructors and classmates were warm and welcoming, glad to celebrate each others' successes and ready to lend a hand and encouragement when the inevitable failures occurred. Metalwerx instructors are invariably attentive and knowledgeable, patient with beginners and ready to challenge more advanced students. They are also chosen for their willingness to share what they know, holding nothing back from their students. "The instructors who teach at Metalwerx have to pass a litmus test of being willing to share all their secrets," says Chris tians. Chris tians has succeeded in attracting an impressive roster of instructors. Some of the famous names that have made the trip to Metalwerx to teach include Alan Revere, Phil Poirier, James Binnion, Michael David Sturlin, J. Fred Woell, Michael Good, and Michael Banner. In 2003, the school moved again, this time to Waltham , and 3,000 square feet of newly renovated space in a friend's recently purchased building. "The first time I saw the building, it was dark and had been abandoned – it smelled of old carpet," says Chris tians. "But I knew we needed to move. I needed my own office and studio space, and I wanted to create a real community separate from the school [space] but still co-habiting with it." The move coincided with the end of Chris tians' partnership with Bowie, who has since opened a fine craft gallery in Salem , Massachusetts . The new building allowed Chris tians to build the school of her dreams – aided by the building's owner, who encouraged her to renovate the space so it best suited the needs of the school and the artistic community she was building. Today, students select from a roster of classes ranging from Jump Start Jewelry, a no-experience-necessary weekend workshop that gives beginners their first taste of jewelry-making, to advanced courses taught by master artisans. For students who want to keep working to develop their skills outside of class time, the school offers ample directed and open studio time, which can be purchased for $10 per hour in blocks of 10 hours. The move to Waltham also allowed Chris tians to expand the "Studiomates" program, in which artists rent bench space in the studio, maintain the shop and equipment, and help administer the programs. "We have a good mix of people," Chris tians says of the current crop of Studiomates. "You don't want all hobbyists because then they're never here. You don't want all professionals because it becomes more competitive. So we have a mix of bench jewelers and hobbyists." Chris tine Connors is a typical Studiomate. She began taking classes at Metalwerx six years ago, and had put her name on a wait list for bench space before the move to Waltham . "I've never had a real studio," she says. "I always wanted one, but my husband was nervous about having one in the house. When Metalwerx opened in Waltham , I jumped at the chance. My original purpose was just to have access to the things a studio gives. The surprise has been how wonderful it is to be surrounded by creative people." When she became a Studiomate, jewelry was just a hobby for Connors. But with the encouragement of the Metalwerx community, she has created a small jewelry line and begun transforming her hobby into a potential career. Jennifer Mank also found Metalwerx provided the encouragement necessary to take the plunge into jewelry as a career. "Without Metalwerx, I wouldn't be going to school to be a jeweler," says Mank, who started out taking weekend classes at Metalwerx and began the full-time jewelry making and repair program at the North Bennet Street school in Boston in February 2004. "[The information sharing] carries beyond classes. You can e-mail or call [for help] – people taking classes know the Studiomates and the instructors. Studiomates can use the classroom and people [in class] can come down here if they have questions or if someone doesn't have what they need, and people will give them solder or jump rings or whatever." Being a Studiomate also makes it easier to stretch creative muscles, says Mank. "At Metalwerx, I can do experiments I would never have done before," she says. "It's a great place to experiment because I have access to tools I could never afford, and I can ask Karen [Chris tians] about the best way to achieve something." Studiomates are also allowed, even encouraged, to offer private lessons in their specialties. "A lot of people like to be teachers as well as makers," says Chris tians. "[By offering private lessons], they get teaching experience without having to deal with an entire classroom, and they get some income. Metalwerx takes a cut, and we also cultivate someone to take workshops, or do a bit on their own [during open studios]." In addition to classes, the school hosts an annual Vendor Day and last June hosted the first-ever New England gathering of participants in the Orchid forum. Active on Orchid almost from the beginning, Chris tians has also become one of the Ganoksin Web site's driving forces. With so much going on, Metalwerx takes an increasing amount of Chris tians' time. But despite the demands of the ever-growing school, she continues to devote time each week to making jewelry. That decision isn't just a matter of choice – it's the one requirement imposed on her by the friend who owns the building. "In my lease, it says I must make art and enjoy myself," she says. "My landlord said he doesn't care if I fill the benches or the classes. I have to worry about enjoying myself." So far, she's succeeding – and bringing enjoyment to many others who might never have discovered their own artistic potential. As for me, suffice to say I won't be giving up my day job anytime soon. However, the classes I took at Metalwerx did help me develop an even deeper appreciation of the artistry and skill of the jewelry artists I spend so much time with. Even Chris tians couldn't make a jewelry artist of me, but I'll be back. Just as Chris tians hoped, the jewelry bug has bitten me – so I think I just might check out that PMC workshop being offered this fall. BIO: Suzanne Wade has been writing about gems and jewelry for more than a decade. In that time, she has made a half dozen good solder joints, a pair of earrings, and one slightly lopsided ring, which impressed no one but her six-year-old son. Fortunately, all agree that she does a better job writing about jewelry than she does making it. VITAL STATISTICS: |
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