Most talented artisans/benchman for custom work?

[Gayletmom]

I''m contemplating a couple of custom pieces which will be thin, delicate eternity bands with milligraining and detail work. I would like to educate myself about the process of custom work in order to get beautiful bands.

Do I understand correctly that most custom providers work by casting the piece-using a mold or something similar? I haven''t always paid close attention but I am presuming that the CAD renderings which are sometimes posted are part of that process? Is this the type of work done by WF, Brian Gavin, and others?

What about true handcrafted pieces? I don''t know much about making jewelry but am assuming the maker would actually shape the metal him/herself instead of casting?

If I''ve got this right so far, then I am getting to my actual question: which artists would you recommend for handcrafted? I know that Leon''s work is well-respected and have seen some beautiful photos of Mark Morrell''s rings but I am guessing there are others. Do I recall someone on this forum raving about the work of a craftsperson at Single Stone? I would like to put together a list for my own use and your input would be appreciated.

I keep asking questions, Kenny, and hope that I am learning something along the way!

 

[Lula]

I''m giving this thread a bump. I think you might be asking about the difference between "forged" and "cast" but I don''t know enough about gold-smithing to know the answer to your question.

As to which vendor to go with, I recommend doing a search in the PS archives of several vendors who have done excellent custom work for PS''ers. If there is a certain look you are going for, looking at a lot of photos of finished pieces might help you decide who''s right for you. Here''s who I''d consider (besides Leon and Mark Morell and Single Stone).

Brian Gavin
Jewels by Erica Grace is starting their own setting line -- maybe they are doing a line of bands? Worth an e-mail.
Wink Jones (High Performance Diamonds/Winfield''s) who I used for my custom setting
Ocean Pearlman (her work can be commissioned through Wink)

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 2/26/2010 3:01:16 PM
Author: sarap333
I''m giving this thread a bump. I think you might be asking about the difference between ''forged'' and ''cast'' but I don''t know enough about gold-smithing to know the answer to your question.

As to which vendor to go with, I recommend doing a search in the PS archives of several vendors who have done excellent custom work for PS''ers. If there is a certain look you are going for, looking at a lot of photos of finished pieces might help you decide who''s right for you. Here''s who I''d consider (besides Leon and Mark Morell and Single Stone).

Brian Gavin
Jewels by Erica Grace is starting their own setting line -- maybe they are doing a line of bands? Worth an e-mail.
Wink Jones (High Performance Diamonds/Winfield''s) who I used for my custom setting
Ocean Pearlman (her work can be commissioned through Wink)

You can get true hand made, where the benchman sits down with a lump of gold and a hammer and starts beating things into shape. He may also pull the gold through a beveled series of holes in a steel plate to get smaller and smaller diameter gold until he can have extremely thin wire for design accents, or somehwat thicker wires for prongs.

I remember watching my Vietnamese benchman do this. He would stand in a chair with the plate under his feet and put a hammered point of gold through the size hole he was going for and then grab the point with a pair of pliers. Absolutely primitive and completely affective.

He learned to goldsmith in Vietnam and did not have the fancy tools we have here. But MAN, could he make some gorgeous jewelry!

A true hand made craftsman will probably cost you at least double what a cast custom piece will cost.

For milgrain work, make sure you get someone who can and will take the time to do it right so that it looks fantastic. Too much of what I see today looks like it was done by a drunken sailor!

Wink

 

[Gayletmom]

Thanks, Sara and Wink. Wow, Wink, that sounds like a totally fascinating process to watch! He has probably forgotten more about goldsmithing than most of us will ever know.

You''ve gotten right to my point-I have seen beautiful miligrain and I have seen clumsy, unimpressive work which I would hardly call miligrain. I won''t be able to travel to see everyone''s work so I am trying to get a list of those who do it by hand. I presume that''s the technique that MM, Leon and SS use? I will also ask JBEG. What about Wink''s shop and Ocean?

Are there others who do this by hand?

 

[Lula]

The milgrain on my ring was done by hand, I believe -- Wink can confirm. The photos I've seen of Ocean's work are lovely, and I also considered using her for my setting, but Wink had a ring on his site that I was able to modify. But I would have been happy to work with Ocean through Wink (her work cost a bit more $$$, so that was a consideration, too!). Again, Wink can confirm, but I believe her milgrain work is done by hand.

What worked really well for me was to supply Wink with photos and detailed descriptions of what I wanted, so he knew the look I was going for. I knew the quality of his work was excellent -- he works with a number of talented benchmen/goldsmiths -- so it was just a matter of conveying to him the design features that I wanted.

You have to be comfortable with both the quality of the work and the designer's ability to interpret your vision for the piece.

Not all vendors have the resources to do custom work. Wink, Ocean, Brian Gavin and Leon (from what I've seen on PS) all produce lovely work with exquisite hand-finishes. I think each one of these vendors have a definite "style" to their work that makes their pieces recognizable and stand out from mass-produced pieces, and that's where your own style preferences come in. Custom design work is a long-term relationship, and you need to feel comfortable working with the person or you may end up feeling like their vision of the finished piece is not the same as yours!

I don't know enough about Single Stone to comment on their custom work, but I sure do like the photos on their website!

I read somewhere that Mark Morrell is not doing any custom work right now, so you would need to order from his existing designs.

 

[whitby_2773]

GREAT, really helpful thread, gayletmom!

my contribution is Barrett Salzmann from Von Bargen''s jewelers in hanover. i took my engagement ring into my jeweler sin australia yesterday, and he thought the workmanship was beautiful. he does hand forged work - not cast - and the details are very fine and delicate.

Barrett''s work is fabulous - and as a result, his prices are *not* cheap. but it''s worth every penny, in my opinion.

please add him to your list, gayle - he''s terrific.

 

[dreamer_dachsie]

Ocean Pearlman, Maytal Hanna, Leon, Mark Morrel, James Meyer (not pave thought)... these are the people who come to my mind.

 

[Gayletmom]

Thanks, Whitby. I should have expected to hear from you as it seems we have the same interests in jewelry lately-yellow gold, charm bracelets and now milgrain eternity rings.

I knew that there must be some talented crafts people out there so thank you so much for adding Barrett. I''m thrilled to hear that he does such beautiful work.

 

[arjunajane]

Jim Meyer's milgrain is the best I have personally seen.

It will really depend on what style you're after Gayle - a classic eternity band which is thin with milgrain? LM for handmade.

BG for CAD, which will be hand-finished.

 

[chas]

In addition to all those fine talents already mentioned I would also add 23rd Street Jewelers.com and Arthur Gordan(jewelsmiths.net) they are hand made pieces as well.

 

[Gypsy]

http://www.mc2jewels.com/ If you can afford them. My ''dream'' choice.

 

[mrssalvo]

I''ll add Bridget Durnell

 

[bgray]

Date: 2/27/2010 5:40:36 AM
Author: Gypsy
http://www.mc2jewels.com/ If you can afford them. My ''dream'' choice.

ditto--their work is the best I have ever seen.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Date: 2/27/2010 12:53:06 PM
Author: bgray

Date: 2/27/2010 5:40:36 AM
Author: Gypsy
http://www.mc2jewels.com/ If you can afford them. My ''dream'' choice.

ditto--their work is the best I have ever seen.

I first heard about them from bgray. I checked out their work this past weekend - very nice pieces!

 

[snuggles1]

Mark Morrell. I worked with him to get my wedding set made. He makes amazing and immaculate work.