Bio...
I've always had a strong drive to explore the unknown and an interest in discovering the processes by which common things are put together.
It's no surprise really that at age 20, as I sat with a cumbersome propane bottle torch and ran my first successful seam around a bezel setting, that I would instantly be hooked. It was apparent to me that combined with a rainbow of colored gems, the creative possibilities of this medium were endless. I began collecting tools, armed myself with books and jumped into jewelry crafting wholeheartedly.
My education in the field of gold and silver smithing has been through trial and error, curiosity and experimentation. Because I have the strong desire to continually try my hand at new processes, I haven't been able to slow down long enough to develop a "brand" or settle comfortably into a mode of production.
As a result, most of my work is one of a kind, limited reproduction or custom jewelry. Each individual piece, even when one is similar to another, is an embodiment of my process of exploration and personal creative cohesion with the materials.
Twenty years after that first silver bezel setting (made for a Mexican fire agate, by the way), I find myself confident with many of the basic fundamentals of metal smithing, though none of them are ever taken for granted.
There are still those days when the solder just doesn't want to flow or a micro-second of too much heat causes a melt down of delicate gold wire work on a piece that is nearly complete. Moments like those can be extremely frustrating but they are also opportunities to continue learning, growing and expanding creatively. On the other hand, there are those times when a piece almost seems to make itself, as if the impression of it already existed in reality and the components naturally come together and gravitate to their rightful places with uncommon ease and grace. That could be the culmination of experience and skill, but it still feels like some kind of magic to me.
The versatility of precious metals and the fascinating transformation that takes place during the process of jewelry creation are what attracted me to jewelry design and fabrication in the beginning and are what continue to further my enjoyment of it today. So, on I will go, discovering what can be accomplished with a basic set of gravers, experimenting with methods of fusing Argentium silver and gold, hammering sheet onto any available surface to examine the resulting texture. I'll continue developing a comfortable relationship with the Fordom hammer hand piece which I had previously found a bit intimidating, waking with visions of silver swirls studded with diamond accents, being so excited to get to work on a piece in the morning that 2pm rolls around and I'm still at the bench in my pjs... Well I'm sure you get the idea, I simply love making jewelry and have from the first moment I picked up a torch.
© 2010 Julia Kay Taylor