It’s teetering back and forth as the investors panic between buying and selling. In my dreams it would drop to $50 an ounce and stay there. 
Then I could make as many designs as I wanted.
Please let this be a sign to those hoarders to stop driving the price up!
Give us artists a break.
SES
Susan Sarantos
http://www.sarantos.com
http://www.metalcyberspace.com
Wishes everyone a very Happy New Year in 2008!
I’ve spent the last year sorting and organizing my studio and am now looking forward to creating new designs and jewelry renderings that have been accumulating in my sketchbooks. I still have a long way to go but at least my walls of archived files and books are starting to make more sense. ONLY one hundred and thirty five boxes (YIKES!) of saved information yet to file away now and currently 400 binders to sort them into. Soon to be 500 since most of those are already bursting at the seams. I’m amazed that I’ve actually read all this compiled data that I’ve been sorting through. The books, catalogs and magazines I am not even going to attempt to count. I have almost complete sets of Ornament & Metalsmith (starting with Goldsmiths Journal) Magazines. Some day I hope to scan the covers and type the contents of those to index them.
What you may ask is all the stuff that I’m saving? Well mostly anything and everything to do with jewelry, art and design. Metalcyberspace is only the tip of the iceberg. For each and every designer I save information as I come across it into their own file. Some designers have entire binders of their own to store all the articles. For instance there are five binders each on Cartier and Artwear Gallery (Robert Lee Morris & artists featured). Then I have theme based files so if I ever need to research anything it’s all at my fingertips. Color, texture, shapes and patterns. Animal, garden, gems and styles. People, places, history and ideas. ETCETERA….
I wish there was some sort of computer chip that could download my brain then I would have more space and time.
Phillip Fike
born July 17, 1927 - died Dec. 8, 1997
Wow ! Has it really been ten years since my good friend Phillip Fike left this planet? I feel his presence around me all the time and it makes me think he’s still here.
We met at my first SNAG conference in the 80’s. I remember being in a dark bar surrounded by a sea of people and being told these amazing stories of past escapades. I wish I had taped them because I can no longer remember the exact details but I will always remember them with a smile.
For those too young to have met him, Phillip was a founding member of SNAG and the person who came up with the acronym SNAG (the Society of North American Goldsmiths).
He would make fabulous fibula which is an ancient form of a brooch. The types that the Romans and Greeks would use to fasten their garments. He was an expert with Niello. He was a professor at Wayne State University in Michigan from 1953-1997.
When I told him that I was running for the SNAG Board, he grabbed my hand strongly, would not let go, then thanked me and told me that I understood and represented the spirit of the original Society of North American Goldsmiths. Michael Good told me the same at Tavern on the Green in NY at WJA. I was honored that they felt that way about me. I won the election and served on it from 1994-1998.
It saddens me to know that a new generation of metalsmiths will never have the chance to experience firsthand the great man Phillip Fike.
I do have a page in progress. I need to add a few photos and more information. Just have not been able to scan them yet. If people have info and stories I would love to hear from them.
Susan Sarantos
My library is quite extensive. I own almost every jewelry & metalsmithing book ever published along with my own collection of files. Last count that was over 400 binders. YIKES! And I have a long way to go to finish sorting boxes of torn out articles into those too. I save about every invitation, article and image of and about jewelry, exhibition catalogs, newspaper clippings, magazines. It’s an obsession of mine. I think I was a librarian in a previous life. When I told that to Jan Yager she said “You are one in this life”. Hah so true.
I’m missing Metalsmith Vol 25 #s 1 & 2 if anyone has a copies of them that they don’t need, I will give them a good home.
If you have anything else too contact me and I’ll let you know where to mail it.
Attended the MJSA Trade Show for Jewelry Making in Providence, RI on Oct. 11,2007.
Volunteered to help SNAG with their booth (deja vu for me) and handed out free copies of Metalsmith to attendees and vendors. They only had the recent Exhibition in Print issue available so I had to explain that it was the special issue. I wish I had a copy of the regular version of the magazine to show people too.
It was not very busy that day which made me sad because I could see such a huge potential for this show. Most of the people that were there had also attended the previous day so I was left with more than a few magazines & brochures which I happily handed off to Metalwerx and other school people at the end of the day. I’m sure they will find good homes with their students.
It was nice catching up with people and meeting new ones. Ended the day having a nice dinner with Reactive Metals Studio. Thanks Bill!
I was thinking of ways to increase attendance. Here are my thoughts:
1. Plan the show to coincide with other events. Coordinate exhibitions with the local galleries and museums featuring JEWELRY. The Providence Jewelry Museum and the RISD Museum come to mind. Set up a gallery night with the trolley.
2. Network with schools. RISD is practically across the street from the conference center. It would be the perfect place to hold a symposium about contemporary jewelry. Panel discussions and workshops that could possibly be funded by grants from RISCA or the NEA. Sponsor international artists to participate.
3. Include a weekend for the show instead of having it only during the week while most people are at work or school. Weds/Thursday was tough for many people.
4. Work with the Chamber of Commerce in Providence and RIEDC. Emphasize the convenience of trains to reach the city. Possible special Waterfire event?
5. Display the MJSA Vision Award pieces at the show. (I didn’t see them if they were.)
I’m sure I have more ideas floating around but those are enough to start.
It’s time for me to get back to my bench and start working now that I have new gemstones and inspirations.
S.E. Sarantos
Just returned from a fantastic 2 day conference in New York City planned by Adornment’s Elyse Karlin (A Place in Time: Jewelry within the Context of the Decorative Arts). If you can make it to any of these in the future it is well worth the effort. Luckily, I am close enough to be able to take the train to NY. Subscribe to Adornment either way!
The first night had dinner with the conference host & most of the speakers and the second night with long time friends Ornament Magazine’s Robert K. Liu & Carolyn Benesh and jewelry artist Jan Yager.
Jeannine Falino did double duty filling in for one speaker who could not make it as well as her own scheduled talk about the work of Daniel Brush. Seeing close details of his work blown up on a huge slide screen was amazing.
Elyse gave a great talk about Medusa who I have always had a fondness for. Must be the hair thing. I have to dig up and scan an old Halloween image of me dressed up as her to send along.
Ruthie Katzenstein spoke about her great-grandfather Meyer D. Rothschild (fine jeweler, gemologist/author, attorney, entrepreneur, fisherman, humanitarian). Remember his name. You will be hearing more about this fascinating man. I would love to see a book written about him after listening to her stories and looking at the all the photos.
See you there next year!
This blog has been getting hit with a TON of spam, so much that I’m considering deleting the blog because it is such a pain to deal with. Also, I’ve been having computer troubles on top of that annoyance so have not been updating at all till I can sort it out. Might have to delete all the users currently signed up to weed out the jerk/s? that is/are spamming.
Some people have nothing better to do with their time and ruin things for everyone else.
I currently have it set so nobody can post or sign up till it stops.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
SES
If you are a contemporary jewelry designer/metalsmith & have a myspace page & want me to add you as a friend send a message to me.
SES
Thanks for all the suggestions.
I’ve tweaked a few things to make this more user friendly. I think it would be best to keep the main information on the website and use the blog for immediate info. I’ve added direct links to the coinciding pages on the side menu.
If you shop at Amazon and want to help out Metalcyberspace, I have signed up as an associate.
When you order access via Metalcyberspace book store
It costs you nothing extra and helps me finance things when you do. Thanks so much!
Powered by WordPress
