The Issue of Right Versus Wrong Jewelry Making Techniques

I read a lot of books about making jewelry and have taken classes from a number of different jewelers. I also get the occasional email from readers with their views about various techniques. These techniques may be as simple as filing a jump ring to as complicated as soldering. Just as the books and teachers differ in their opinions, so do the email messages. One will say that he or she found the way I explained a technique to work much better. Another user will say that he's always done it a different way than I showed how. This started me thinking about what could be considered the correct versus the incorrect technique when making jewelry.

The first class I ever took in jewelry making was from a woman who had her MFA in fine art design and had been making jewelry, as well as teaching, for well over twenty years. Though I had been playing around with jewelry making before taking this class, I had never been formally trained before. Therefore, I was basically a clean slate and practiced the techniques of fabrication, soldering, and casting as I was shown. Probably most jewelry students follow this same example. We do what we're told. It's not until we start getting a little more experienced that we start to question, experiment, and discover. We find a new book, take a new class, talk to a fellow jewelry designer, and learn from each other.

I admit, though I've learned about and tried various techniques, I usually find myself doing it the way I was originally taught. However, I have also discovered a few new techniques that I eventually adopt. For example, when I was first taught how to cast, I was told I only need to use a little sticky wax and more designer wax. Another jewelry buddy of mine told me she didn't even use designer wax, and instead, is more generous with using the sticky. I followed her advice on the sticky and found that it did work better for me. You never know until you try.

The more I thought about right versus wrong, I came to the conclusion that, except for safety issues (which are obviously important), there is no right or wrong way to make jewelry. I think we should be open to all ideas and experiment until we find what works best for ourselves.