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.
