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"When Craft Becomes Art, What is Fabrication, and Other Questions"
An Interview with Stewart Jones Creating an adequate definition for the difference between craft and art is an ongoing debate, and it should be, especially among those creating the works being defined, if only because those who are placed in the realm of art seem to get the most accolades. For example, if we viewed the work of a thousand basket weavers, four or five might transcend the usual in basket weaving. We might call their work art. And we would applaud them accordingly. It is the same in the field of jewelry making. Some works stand out as art. Q: What would you say makes a work of jewelry cross the line from craft to art. A: A combination of things: mastery of technique, balance of design, unique or identifiable style, and in the field of jewelry creation, wearability - form must follow function. Otherwise, it's sculpture and should be set on a pedestal or hung on a wall. Q: Do the materials used make a difference? A: Artistic jewelry can be made from any material: beads, feathers, shells, paper, non-precious metals; however, the notable works are still produced in platinum and high karat gold. No other materials have their combination of richness and durability. Q: Considering high karat gold, isn't eighteen karat gold soft compared to fourteen karat? A: No, but it's a question I'm asked regularly. The idea of "softness" when speaking of metals is a misnomer. Eighteen karat is more malleable, meaning on a molecular level the molecules move more easily. The metal is more workable. This translates into a piece that wears longer. When you abrade fourteen karat gold, you actually remove microscopic pieces of the gold. The piece continues to look shiny, but you're losing mass. You notice this especially in the thinning of ring shanks. Eighteen karat gold, however, does not tend to abrade so readily. The metal is moved rather than removed. Abrasion creates tiny furrows. The piece will become dull looking, but the metal is still there. All it needs is a proper polishing to make it look new again. It is even more so with platinum. Q: But doesn't polishing wear away the gold and platinum? A: Not if it's done correctly. The friction of the polishing surface against the metal should only heat the outer molecules. This metal then flows back into the furrows. Metal should never be removed during polishing, even in the case of deep scratches. If it is, it's a case of bearing down too hard. Correct polishing must be mastered like any other skill. Q: You say your preferred materials are platinum and eighteen karat gold. Aren't they much more expensive than fourteen karat yellow or white gold? A: It's a case of relative value for your money. If you can afford the extra at the beginning, it will pay for itself many times over in longer wear. The additional cost for hand-fabricated pieces is largely in the workmanship, not in the choice of metal. Q: What do you mean by fabricated? Is that the same as lost wax casting? A: No. Fabrication and lost wax casting are different approaches to jewelry making. Centrifugal lost wax casting was invented in the 1930's as a way to mass produce jewelry. It does have the advantage of lowering the cost somewhat and in some cases, but the process lowers the quality. That's the trade off. And it's a legitimate one. To make the product more quickly and get it into the hands of more people, quality had to be sacrificed. There's a saying in retail: Quality, service, low price - pick two. You can't give people all three and stay in business. I choose to create the highest quality work I can at a fair price, which is different from a low price. A fair price is getting value for cost. Q: So how does fabrication lead to better quality? A: In a way, fabrication starts where lost wax casting leaves off. In casting, an object is carved in wax, then molded in plaster, then burned out, hence, the wax is "lost", leaving a reverse impression. Gold is melted then injected into the mold through centrifuge. After cooling, cleaning and polishing you have your finished piece. A special rubber mold can then be made of this piece and many, many waxes "pulled". These waxes are then molded in plaster, burned out, and centrifuged. In fabrication, one starts with melted gold that is poured into forms to create small ingots. This ingot is comparable to the finished lost wax cast product. Now, however, the ingot is put through a rolling mill at thousands of pounds of pressure per square inch. This creates a metal of greater density by squeezing out the microscopic air bubbles, also known as porosity. Jewelry is then built from the metal by cutting, bending, folding, fitting, soldering, welding and fusing. For example, I fabricate tiny universal joints to give mobility to connecting points on pendants, earrings, and bracelets. These cannot realistically be created in wax as they involve moving parts and rivets. A fabricated ring of the same dimensions as one produced through lost wax casting will weigh 20-30% more because of its density. This translates into longer wear, often years longer on such things as ring shanks and prongs. Fabricated pieces will take on a crisper, cleaner detail of design and will take a brighter polish. Q: Is there ever a reason you would use lost wax casting process? A: Yes, I've used it for sculptural work such as animal figures. My "When Pigs Fly" pendant uses the lost wax process for the body of the pig, but the wings are fabricated, cut out of the metal. Then I drill the body, peg and solder the wings into place. I wanted the wings to have a crisp, stylized look, and I wanted them to be especially secure since the pig weighs about a half an ounce in silver. Sometimes I fabricate a piece such as the Celtic Cross and Celtic Knot Pendant, then mold the original, pull waxes and cast. This way I can develope a "line" of work but lower the cost by creating multiples. Most of my work, however, is one-of-a-kind, hand-fabricated pieces. Q: How do the prices of fabricated pieces compare? A: I'd have to ask compare to what? An automobile is basically two tons of steel, but everyone knows you can't buy a Mercedes for the price of a Ford. The question is, is a Mercedes worth the price? Personally, I think a Mercedes is a better value than a Ford. And I also think a Mercedes is a work of art. But if what you can afford is a Ford, or if you really like a Ford better, buy a Ford. On the other hand, if you're looking for a work of art, you really ought to buy the Mercedes. It's the same with jewelry. |
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