Franklin my dear, I don’t give a darn.

May 11, 2009

I didn’t go to Tucson this year for the gem shows.  My supply of rough was winding down as well as my supply of gem material, so Lora and I made reservations at a cabin tucked away in a holler just outside of Franklin, NC.  Although Lora is originally from the tar heal state, she […]

Read the full article →

A Birthday Suprise

April 12, 2009

I have had my head in this PC trying to get my website designed and ready for content, but I took a little time to make something special for my oldest daughter’s birthday, between ring orders and a few simple chain orders. 1itt1e5mith(11:25AM): Papa, RU online? CosmicFolklore(11:27AM): Yeppers 1itt1e5mith(11:28AM):can I have a pitbull? CosmicFolklore(11:29AM):Nope 1itt1e5mith(11:34AM): […]

Read the full article →

Spring at the Bench

March 21, 2009

This has been our spring break week, so I have had some extra time at the bench.  We were going to try to get in some gem mining in North Carolina.  A prospector friend of mine had written to tell me of a rock slide that exposed some excellent ruby specimens, but the kids, money, […]

Read the full article →

Something different going on…

February 23, 2009

I just wanted to share something with you guys who may not have seen what these kids are doing. Check out http://www.metalworkers.org/ I ran into a few of these wrappers a few years ago. They were coming in and buying minerals and gems to use and LOTS of wire. This is a jewelry movement that […]

Read the full article →

Purple Rain

February 22, 2009

Honey I know, I know, I know times are changing Its time we all reach out 4 something new That means u 2 U say u want a leader But u can’t seem 2 make up your mind I think u better close it And let me guide u 2 the purple rain When I […]

Read the full article →

A Great Source of Ancient Jewelery Techniques & Other Stuff

February 2, 2009

I found a great internet source for all sorts of things, archive.org. Microsoft has scanned tons of old books and put them on here, plus music, videos, and there is even a powerful library, where everything that has been posted to the internet is archived.  You can search for websites that no longer exist, or […]

Read the full article →

Alabama Moldavite; Buyer Beware

January 30, 2009

Alabama has some of the most iron rich soil in the world. You can literally squeeze the rust out of the mud. Almost every town of any significance has a mine, quarry, smelt, furnace, or ancient rolling mill dating back to the Civil War. And, a bi-product of producing iron with our own locally quarried […]

Read the full article →

Can Jewelry be Art? What is art?

January 27, 2009

So, I sometimes see folks in the craft of jewelry debating whether their work is art, or whether jewelry can be art at all. I would surmise that the first obstacle to this question is, “what is art?” Back in what seems like millenniums ago, in my MFA program I was asked to present and […]

Read the full article →

Serpent in the Flower

January 25, 2009

I will set aside targeting teachers and neophytes in this blog, and I will focus on bashing polio children and endangered wildlife.  To quote a bit of Vonnegut, “The children are not our future, because by the time the time the future gets here, they’re not children anymore.”   And, “Maturity is a bitter disappointment for […]

Read the full article →

Are We Killing Our Craft?

January 20, 2009

(edit) Folks posting comments have had some excellent responses to this.  Read through them below.  Thank you. (end edit) I have made a decision, I will teach absolutely no more classes on metalsmithing, and I will explain why. Six years ago, my girlfriend got me interested in lampwork beads.  I got a torch and an […]

Read the full article →
Page 6 of 7
1
...
2
3
4
5
6
7

WordPress Admin