The Symposium for the Advancement of Jewelry Manufacturing Technology seeks to continue the learning and sharing environment originally created by Santa Fe Symposium, the "premier educational forum for jewelry manufacturing technology worldwide." But this is not intended to be a simple continuation of SFS, it will be a different event, using different resources and venues!
Meet the Board!
Stewart Grice:
Tell us about how you came to the jewelry industry.
My original career choice as a teenager was to join the Royal Air Force, but back in the late 70’s there was no such thing as corrective vision, and if your eyesight wasn’t up to scratch then you were out of luck. I ended up doing research into industrial ceramics for Morgan Crucible and while there applied for a Lab Tech job at Johnson Matthey in Birmingham, UK. Needless to say, I got the job and the rest is history. I had no big plans to be a part of the jewelry industry, I just went to work for Johnson Matthey because they were a great company to work for and offered many opportunities in different materials fields. I ended up from the start concentrating on precious metals and found I was good at it.
What’s your favorite aspect of your work in the jewelry industry?
For me I think it’s the same with any job in any industry – doing the best that you can, and for me there’s no better feeling than solving a problem or seeing a project succeed. For the jewelry industry in general, the best part has to be “art meets science!” Any material has to be fit for purpose and designed to work within a given process – you always need good engineering/materials science/metallurgy. With the jewelry industry, these materials are not only fit for purpose, they’re made into things of beauty by some very, very talented people -it’s not just about function, it’s the aesthetic part that makes it special.
What role does education play in your work?
Huge! Every day is a learning day, whether it’s from formal education, other people’s knowledge, or just new experiences and learning how to solve new problems. That’s why TJS being a success is so important - to continue the transfer of knowledge. Education is one of the most important aspects of any job.
What attracted you to the JS project?
I’d been attending the Santa Fe Symposium every year since 1997, so that’s 25 symposia. The opportunity to help craft a new forum to disseminate knowledge in a similar way to this was too good to pass up. I’m friends with all the other board members, we all get on well, so it was natural to accept a role when nominated. As a collective we can’t lose this type of forum and we all need to make it happen, from board members to sponsors to attendees, we all have a part to play.
Tell us about how you came to the jewelry industry.
My original career choice as a teenager was to join the Royal Air Force, but back in the late 70’s there was no such thing as corrective vision, and if your eyesight wasn’t up to scratch then you were out of luck. I ended up doing research into industrial ceramics for Morgan Crucible and while there applied for a Lab Tech job at Johnson Matthey in Birmingham, UK. Needless to say, I got the job and the rest is history. I had no big plans to be a part of the jewelry industry, I just went to work for Johnson Matthey because they were a great company to work for and offered many opportunities in different materials fields. I ended up from the start concentrating on precious metals and found I was good at it.
What’s your favorite aspect of your work in the jewelry industry?
For me I think it’s the same with any job in any industry – doing the best that you can, and for me there’s no better feeling than solving a problem or seeing a project succeed. For the jewelry industry in general, the best part has to be “art meets science!” Any material has to be fit for purpose and designed to work within a given process – you always need good engineering/materials science/metallurgy. With the jewelry industry, these materials are not only fit for purpose, they’re made into things of beauty by some very, very talented people -it’s not just about function, it’s the aesthetic part that makes it special.
What role does education play in your work?
Huge! Every day is a learning day, whether it’s from formal education, other people’s knowledge, or just new experiences and learning how to solve new problems. That’s why TJS being a success is so important - to continue the transfer of knowledge. Education is one of the most important aspects of any job.
What attracted you to the JS project?
I’d been attending the Santa Fe Symposium every year since 1997, so that’s 25 symposia. The opportunity to help craft a new forum to disseminate knowledge in a similar way to this was too good to pass up. I’m friends with all the other board members, we all get on well, so it was natural to accept a role when nominated. As a collective we can’t lose this type of forum and we all need to make it happen, from board members to sponsors to attendees, we all have a part to play.
Gary Dawson:
Tell us about how you came to the jewelry industry.
The Backstory is that I didn’t initially choose to be a designer and goldsmith…it chose me!
Like Stewart, I initially sought another career, I was going to be a lawyer. But after I’d rented my apartment in Eugene to attend the U of O in a pre-law program, I got the news. Lucky 14 was my draft number so I lost my deposit on the apartment and spent the next two years in the army.
Fortunately, the conflict du-jour, what is called in the USA the Vietnam war, was winding down so I did not have to go there during my service term. And somehow, after the experience of being drafted I just didn’t have the same urge to become a lawyer as I thought I had in high school. I spent some time drifting through a liberal-arts degree at the U of O, wondering where I would end up. A friend talked me into taking a jewelry class.
It took some coaxing, he pestered me for a couple of terms, but I finally relented and ended up in the classroom of my mentor, Max Nixon. This time the luck was real, Max changed my life. Or perhaps he allowed me to change my own life, and I found my home. I found that I felt at home making things.
The back-backstory here is that my first paying job (at age 12) was sweeping the floor in a machine shop in my hometown of Riddle, OR. That segued into a work-study program in high-school and eventually to summer jobs working at Hannah Nickel Mine, near Riddle, as a welder. So when I began this jewelry making class, I had a fairly deep background in some forms of metalworking. Once I finally went to the U of O, I may have been a tiny bit more mature than many of the beginning freshmen students, having been in the Army (as a Military Policeman) so Max encouraged me set up a home workshop and proceed to where my heart seemed to be taking me…making jewelry!
While learning the jewelry trade I still wanted a well-rounded education and after participating in the Psychology Dept. for several years, I switched to a focus on Anthropology and retain a deep interest in the topic. Cultures, and the people within them fascinate me. How people interact with the objects in their lives is determined by both culture and personality and for me somehow this all ties into my process of making meaningful custom jewelry for people.
I clearly remember…
…selling my first ring, sitting on the sidewalk outside of Old Taylors on 13th St. in Eugene, OR. It sold for $4 and I think I probably used a buck fifty of it to buy myself a celebratory beer. I know I used the rest to buy more silver. That would have been sometime in 1975 and I have been designing, manufacturing and selling custom precious metal and gemstone jewelry ever since.
I soon found the Portland, OR Saturday Market to be a viable venue for my burgeoning business. While still living in Eugene, I commuted most weekends for over 8 years, eventually gaining a position on the board of directors of that market. I also ventured out to national level art and craft shows and gained recognition while continuing to develop my local clientele by opening a retail shop in Eugene, Goldworks Jewelry Art Studio. Continuing my involvement in the broader Northwest Arts Community as president of the Board of Directors of what was then called the Northwest Crafts Alliance (now Northwest Art Alliance), based in the Puget Sound area, I also helped to expand the “Best of the Northwest” show from a single venue to additional venues while building Goldworks into a prominent position in the Eugene arts community.
As my children grew it became more difficult to take my business on the road. I moved my business to downtown Eugene and dug in on Broadway, operating at that location for over 36 years as sole owner. As that business prospered I realized I was becoming a business manager rather than the artist/craftsperson that I wanted to be. So in 2010 I sold the Brick & Mortar store to Erin Murphy, who continues to operate on Broadway in Eugene. I love what I do so much I will never retire in the way that many do. I plan to continue to work closely with people to design articles of jewelry as long as I possibly can. I find working in precious metals and gem materials that reflect my clients various tastes and desires to be both challenging and rewarding.
What’s your favorite aspect of your work in the jewelry industry?
I mostly do Custom work and the satisfaction of helping clients realize their goals in the form of a real object is immense and always there. Whether I’m helping to seal a commitment, or memorializing an event or life, it is about as personal as it can get and I like that intimacy with my clients.
Also, the exciting new developments in technology that we use adds another factor, one that literally gives me chills at times. I get to combine cutting edge tech, in the form of CAD and additive manufacturing, with techniques that span millennia. Lost wax casting, for example, has been in use in much the same form for many thousands of years. How fun!
What role does education play in your work?
I’d have to say that I’m a lifelong learner and I’m always seeking new and/or better ways to design and manufacture my product. A lot of my continuing education has come from networking with people that know more than I do about any given process. It can be intimidating to be the least knowledgeable person in the room, but genuine curiosity and a willingness to learn and adapt to new information goes a long way toward making those people in the room family!
I also have a passion for sharing information, so I have been doing that in the form of seminars and classes for about as long as I can remember. I think one of my strengths as an educator is that I can relate to the student with little knowledge about a topic and translate large amounts of sometimes very technical information into digestible bits.
What attracted you to the JS project?
Well, I didn’t volunteer. In fact, having been on various boards of directors within the arts/crafts community I promised myself decades ago that I would never do “committee” work again. But when nominated by Chris to help form this board, my passion for continuing the spirit of documenting and sharing that I had experienced at the SFS overcame my reluctance to do board work.
What can we expect from TJS in its inaugural year?
I’d like to make it clear that we are not “continuing” the Santa Fe Symposium. I can’t speak for the other members of the board, but my goal is to continue the aforementioned spirit of documentation and sharing that existed in the SFS utilizing new technologies in communication, allowing for a broader reach into the jewelry industry.
Tell us about how you came to the jewelry industry.
The Backstory is that I didn’t initially choose to be a designer and goldsmith…it chose me!
Like Stewart, I initially sought another career, I was going to be a lawyer. But after I’d rented my apartment in Eugene to attend the U of O in a pre-law program, I got the news. Lucky 14 was my draft number so I lost my deposit on the apartment and spent the next two years in the army.
Fortunately, the conflict du-jour, what is called in the USA the Vietnam war, was winding down so I did not have to go there during my service term. And somehow, after the experience of being drafted I just didn’t have the same urge to become a lawyer as I thought I had in high school. I spent some time drifting through a liberal-arts degree at the U of O, wondering where I would end up. A friend talked me into taking a jewelry class.
It took some coaxing, he pestered me for a couple of terms, but I finally relented and ended up in the classroom of my mentor, Max Nixon. This time the luck was real, Max changed my life. Or perhaps he allowed me to change my own life, and I found my home. I found that I felt at home making things.
The back-backstory here is that my first paying job (at age 12) was sweeping the floor in a machine shop in my hometown of Riddle, OR. That segued into a work-study program in high-school and eventually to summer jobs working at Hannah Nickel Mine, near Riddle, as a welder. So when I began this jewelry making class, I had a fairly deep background in some forms of metalworking. Once I finally went to the U of O, I may have been a tiny bit more mature than many of the beginning freshmen students, having been in the Army (as a Military Policeman) so Max encouraged me set up a home workshop and proceed to where my heart seemed to be taking me…making jewelry!
While learning the jewelry trade I still wanted a well-rounded education and after participating in the Psychology Dept. for several years, I switched to a focus on Anthropology and retain a deep interest in the topic. Cultures, and the people within them fascinate me. How people interact with the objects in their lives is determined by both culture and personality and for me somehow this all ties into my process of making meaningful custom jewelry for people.
I clearly remember…
…selling my first ring, sitting on the sidewalk outside of Old Taylors on 13th St. in Eugene, OR. It sold for $4 and I think I probably used a buck fifty of it to buy myself a celebratory beer. I know I used the rest to buy more silver. That would have been sometime in 1975 and I have been designing, manufacturing and selling custom precious metal and gemstone jewelry ever since.
I soon found the Portland, OR Saturday Market to be a viable venue for my burgeoning business. While still living in Eugene, I commuted most weekends for over 8 years, eventually gaining a position on the board of directors of that market. I also ventured out to national level art and craft shows and gained recognition while continuing to develop my local clientele by opening a retail shop in Eugene, Goldworks Jewelry Art Studio. Continuing my involvement in the broader Northwest Arts Community as president of the Board of Directors of what was then called the Northwest Crafts Alliance (now Northwest Art Alliance), based in the Puget Sound area, I also helped to expand the “Best of the Northwest” show from a single venue to additional venues while building Goldworks into a prominent position in the Eugene arts community.
As my children grew it became more difficult to take my business on the road. I moved my business to downtown Eugene and dug in on Broadway, operating at that location for over 36 years as sole owner. As that business prospered I realized I was becoming a business manager rather than the artist/craftsperson that I wanted to be. So in 2010 I sold the Brick & Mortar store to Erin Murphy, who continues to operate on Broadway in Eugene. I love what I do so much I will never retire in the way that many do. I plan to continue to work closely with people to design articles of jewelry as long as I possibly can. I find working in precious metals and gem materials that reflect my clients various tastes and desires to be both challenging and rewarding.
What’s your favorite aspect of your work in the jewelry industry?
I mostly do Custom work and the satisfaction of helping clients realize their goals in the form of a real object is immense and always there. Whether I’m helping to seal a commitment, or memorializing an event or life, it is about as personal as it can get and I like that intimacy with my clients.
Also, the exciting new developments in technology that we use adds another factor, one that literally gives me chills at times. I get to combine cutting edge tech, in the form of CAD and additive manufacturing, with techniques that span millennia. Lost wax casting, for example, has been in use in much the same form for many thousands of years. How fun!
What role does education play in your work?
I’d have to say that I’m a lifelong learner and I’m always seeking new and/or better ways to design and manufacture my product. A lot of my continuing education has come from networking with people that know more than I do about any given process. It can be intimidating to be the least knowledgeable person in the room, but genuine curiosity and a willingness to learn and adapt to new information goes a long way toward making those people in the room family!
I also have a passion for sharing information, so I have been doing that in the form of seminars and classes for about as long as I can remember. I think one of my strengths as an educator is that I can relate to the student with little knowledge about a topic and translate large amounts of sometimes very technical information into digestible bits.
What attracted you to the JS project?
Well, I didn’t volunteer. In fact, having been on various boards of directors within the arts/crafts community I promised myself decades ago that I would never do “committee” work again. But when nominated by Chris to help form this board, my passion for continuing the spirit of documenting and sharing that I had experienced at the SFS overcame my reluctance to do board work.
What can we expect from TJS in its inaugural year?
I’d like to make it clear that we are not “continuing” the Santa Fe Symposium. I can’t speak for the other members of the board, but my goal is to continue the aforementioned spirit of documentation and sharing that existed in the SFS utilizing new technologies in communication, allowing for a broader reach into the jewelry industry.
Ann Cahoon:
Tell us about how you came to the jewelry industry.
My first exposure to making jewelry was at a class at a community art center in rural New Hampshire as a young teen. I was fascinated by jewelry as a product, and thought making it could be fun. Spoiler alert: it was. Pursuing it as a career, however, was not even remotely an option. I was a “smart” kind who was headed for college, and a career in a creative field or (perish the thought) the trades was not a path that was open to me. Fast forward to my college years, which were successful, but not rewarding, and the decision to switch gears and head to a BFA program to study metalsmithing and jewelry. The journey started there, but was really cemented with my decision to go to the North Bennet Street School in Boston where I trained as a technical bench jeweler. I’ve been hands on in various roles ever since.
What’s your favorite aspect of your work in the jewelry industry?
The problem solving. From the technical to the practical, I love figuring out how to fix things, and how to troubleshoot a process or piece. That the process results in beautiful, often deeply meaningful work is a pretty great bonus.
What role does education play in your work?
These days, it is my work. As the Jewelry Making and Repair Department Head at the North Bennet Street School, my primary responsibility is training bench jewelers over the course of a two year, hands on program. A solid foundation, in addition to ongoing training and learning is absolutely essential to teach effectively. If you don’t know both the how and the why of a process, you just can’t teach it in a complete and meaningful way. I am immersed in the full circle of education as both student and teacher- it really just depends on the moment!
What attracted you to the JTS project?
Furthering collective technical knowledge in the jewelry industry is something that I feel very, very strongly about; it has the power to change businesses and careers in truly significant, positive ways. The mission of JTS aligns perfectly with my belief in the importance of access to skills and knowledge.
What can we expect from JTS in its inaugural year?
Education and community!
Tell us about how you came to the jewelry industry.
My first exposure to making jewelry was at a class at a community art center in rural New Hampshire as a young teen. I was fascinated by jewelry as a product, and thought making it could be fun. Spoiler alert: it was. Pursuing it as a career, however, was not even remotely an option. I was a “smart” kind who was headed for college, and a career in a creative field or (perish the thought) the trades was not a path that was open to me. Fast forward to my college years, which were successful, but not rewarding, and the decision to switch gears and head to a BFA program to study metalsmithing and jewelry. The journey started there, but was really cemented with my decision to go to the North Bennet Street School in Boston where I trained as a technical bench jeweler. I’ve been hands on in various roles ever since.
What’s your favorite aspect of your work in the jewelry industry?
The problem solving. From the technical to the practical, I love figuring out how to fix things, and how to troubleshoot a process or piece. That the process results in beautiful, often deeply meaningful work is a pretty great bonus.
What role does education play in your work?
These days, it is my work. As the Jewelry Making and Repair Department Head at the North Bennet Street School, my primary responsibility is training bench jewelers over the course of a two year, hands on program. A solid foundation, in addition to ongoing training and learning is absolutely essential to teach effectively. If you don’t know both the how and the why of a process, you just can’t teach it in a complete and meaningful way. I am immersed in the full circle of education as both student and teacher- it really just depends on the moment!
What attracted you to the JTS project?
Furthering collective technical knowledge in the jewelry industry is something that I feel very, very strongly about; it has the power to change businesses and careers in truly significant, positive ways. The mission of JTS aligns perfectly with my belief in the importance of access to skills and knowledge.
What can we expect from JTS in its inaugural year?
Education and community!
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Jim Binnion
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Elizabeth Watts
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Linus Drogs
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