I’m a screamer.  Well, maybe yeller is more accurate.  But I have passion about every project that I do and sometimes it comes out in the process!
This past weekend, we (mostly I but with critical intermittent help) installed the last major component in a bathroom remodel that has taken about three months of Sundays to complete, maybe more.  Not that all that time was spent working.  I think it took most of a month after everything else was finished to get the beautiful wooden countertop made.  This was after we finally decided on something that a) we liked and b) we could afford.
I used to yell occasionally when I was learning to make jewelry, when solder wouldn’t flow, when I inadvertently melted something I was trying to solder, when I burnt myself…
Yes, that happens.
Handyman Passion
​I like to consider myself “handy”.  What that really means is that I’m too stubborn to hire competent help with household projects, or maybe too cheap. I gleefully embark on a project, not really knowing how to do all the steps, but confident that I can learn along the way.  Thank Buddha for YouTube, right?

Something I’ve often said in discussions about “what is art” is that a plumber who can create a water delivery (and drain) system with no leaks is an artist. So yesterday, after spending a full day on a job that I thought was at most a half-day project, I was an artist. We were artists! Persistence on my part, and tolerance and help on the part of my spouse won the day.  But not until sufficient yelling had taken place…Um, I mean, once we got passion for the project!
“This shit is so poorly engineered”, he yells…” Agghhhhh, poorly engineered!”
If you’ve ever worked under a small bathroom sink, on your back, trying to connect a delicate water management system with tools more suitable for either jewelry making or building demolition, you know what I mean.
After looking at the instructions though, it went fairly well.

Fortunately, with over 40 years of designing and making jewelry nearly every day, I tend not to scream much when I’m doing my jewelry art.  But the passion remains…I yell loudly, “Fresh Jewelry” when a project is complete.
Speaking of fresh jewelry, I’d love to work with you on a fantastic piece of custom wearable art.  Jewelry is a statement, part of the “personal brand” for which you have passion.  It takes passion to conceive and execute these things, and I promise not to yell.
​

Investment in SelfDuring the morning break at the Santa Fe Symposium (SFS) yesterday, I made an investment in myself. I went out by the pool, took my shirt off and sat in the sun for a full half-hour.  Hard to give up the networking, every moment here is an opportunity to meet a new, or reunite with an old friend.  And SFS is populated by many of the most important people in the jewelry industry.
But the best investment can be elusive. And for me it is rarely about the money, or contacts or what many people would recognize as “opportunity”.  I’ve come to recognize that an investment can mean many other things.

Here’s an example.  When I first began coming to SFS 12 years ago it became customary for me to take an early-morning walk down to the Rio Grande River.  It’s just over a mile from the hotel and at an early hour, as the sun comes up, a very pleasant walk.  Part of that walk proceeds west from Rio Grande Blvd. along Central Avenue, old Route 66.  That half-mile stretch from Rio Grande Blvd. to the river has several operating old-time Route 66 hotels.  I became intrigued by one that was abandoned the first time I made that walk.  It is called El Vado and is an adobe-type construction that, at least in my imagination, must have had a colorful history.  I visualized buying that dilapidated property and restoring it to a vibrant bit of history with a contemporary, hip, spin.
Well, it is a good dream, and I have held on to it for all the years I’ve been coming down here, wondering what it would be like.  Just what would it take to bring back to functionality and how cool could I make it? Of course, my real love is designing and manufacturing custom jewelry so I knew that El Vado would remain a dream for me. But I have built an “investment” in that property that will never go away!  And on today’s walk I find that someone is making my El Vado dream come true for themselves.  I’m ecstatic!

I knew I was never going to restore that property but every year that I walked down past it I feared I would see it leveled, or worse, a cracker-box hotel replacing my beloved El Vado.  That’s a classic emotional investment that I’m happy to retain.  And I can’t wait to come stay one day, drink a craft beer sitting by the pool that, under different circumstances, might have been mine.
Investment in Others
​Now, most people should probably never really consider jewelry to be a monetary investment.  But one can make a different kind of investment with well-made jewelry!  The emotional investment that we all have in the relationships and special events in our lives are often memorialized in personal jewelry.

I love being a part of that!  Contact me today to begin your project.  It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, the investment will be in the people you love, and the things that are important to you.  Like sitting in the sun, or having a dream…
​

Fear
And although I’ve spoken at many events, and 5 times already at this upcoming event, I always have a little stage fright.  Fear is good.  Keeps you on your toes.  When I was rock climbing more frequently, getting good enough to lead a 5.8 crack pitch with traditional technique, placing my own protection as I went, I was often asked, “Aren’t you afraid?”  Hell yes I was.  And that fear kept me safe, I truly believe that.  Unbridled fear is dangerous, of course. Paralyzing. And it can easily become a deadly spiral if you are high on the rock wall and get locked up, too afraid to move, as you gradually lose the strength to stay where you are.
In fact, the most serious injury I’ve yet sustained in rock climbing was from trying too hard not to fall.  When I realized I was going to fall, I should have just let go, trusting my gear.  But no, I held on beyond the ability of my shoulder to keep it together and consequently suffered a little rotator cuff pain for the best part of a year as it healed up.  The eventual fall didn’t harm me at all, as the protection I had placed served in just the way it was intended.
Fear as Safety
Fear, in healthy context, keeps you honest and safe.  Fear compelled me to meticulously place my gear that day on the rock.  And the result of that fear was an uncomplicated fall once I let go.  One from which I could easily recover and continue the climb.  My acknowledged fear of public speaking makes me pick topics that interest me, do appropriate research, and compose thoughtfully. And then practice.  I rarely run through my whole presentation BTW, because I want my delivery to be spontaneous.  My practice involves going through sections that fit together, and then practicing the transitions between them.
So next Sunday when I present my paper, I’ll step up to the podium and begin my speech.  And then I’ll step away from the podium to let myself take over and own the presentation.  If I stumble during part of it, the protection I’ve built into it, by thoughtful creation and practice, will allow me to recover and continue.
So…
Biorhythms be Damned as Gary Speaks
Well probably.  But the chart shows me to be on an emotional high about 6 days after the presentation, just when the feedback will start setting in.  
Designing and making thoughtful jewelry is my first love.  But I am growing to appreciate the opportunity to learn that comes from putting myself out there as a writer and speaker.

In 2 weeks from today I leave for St. Louis, the first leg in my journey to present my latest paper for the Santa Fe Symposium on Jewelry Manufacturing Technology (SFS).  I’m leaving a couple days early to visit with my sister and family who happen to live in St. Louis and then will rendezvous with the rest of the speakers slated to present at the SFS.  The 3-day junket prior to symposium is designed as one of the most important networking events in the jewelry industry. After 3 days of socializing and sightseeing together, the entire contingent of speakers and SFS staff are moved to Albuquerque, NM where the symposium is held each year. This will mark the 31st annual event, and will be my 6th presentation.
It is both an honor and very humbling experience to be involved with this event, a gathering of up to 200 of the most influential designers, manufactures, and suppliers within this ancient and fascinating industry. The Symposium was organized by the founder, Eddie Bell, to be a repository, the only existing archive, for detailed, well-researched investigations into metallurgy, design and manufacturing techniques.  This international group of independent individuals can be contentious, hence the social junket prior to the actual event. This allows for friendships to form and builds tolerance among holders of disparate views. During the Q&A session following one of my more controversial papers regarding tarnish resistant silver alloys, people were standing up and yelling at each other across the room.
I’m Lucky……in that Mr. Bell seems have allowed me to present somewhat unorthodox topics.  In 2010 my paper had the longest imaginable title…”Paradigm Shift in Jewelry Manufacturing and Market Structure: An Examination of Contemporary Small Shop Jewelry Production – Design to Manufacture to Retail” wherein I drew parallels between the then current state of the jewelry industry and the fall and eventual rise of independent breweries here in the USA.  That was a fun paper to write!
And Gary writes again…my paper this year is titled, “Finding a Voice: The Challenge of Design in the Evolving Computer-Aided Design Era”.  I’m excited to share this as both personal essay and critical commentary on the integration of CAD-CAM into the jewelry industry.  It is composed of a bit of personal history and observation, and commentary about how the jewelry industry has integrated CAD-CAM into design and manufacturing.  Frankly, as an industry, we could be utilizing these useful tools more productively.
To see how I use CAD-CAM in my processes, check out my website, Gary Dawson Designs!  Hope to hear from you soon.
Kindly,

I didn’t know it at the time but Custom Confidential was born on a hot summer day, long ago…
Maybe I was a little drunk. I had been fabricating silver jewelry for a few years and decided to try my hand at fabrication in 14K gold.  Saving up, I finally had enough money to buy 6 inches of gold wire.   Using my best garnet, and putting extra effort into making it perfect, I made one of my more standard designs.  This design seemed to always sell fast when I made it in silver and I wasn’t willing to risk coming up with a new design with such precious materials. When I put it on display at the Eugene Saturday Market my entire sales effort of that time, I priced it exactly like I would have had it been silver, adding just enough more to cover that more expensive metal.  I think the price came to something like $60 while the same ring in Sterling would have been maybe $25.
Take The Money…Eventually
​Customer after customer admired the ring, complimenting my abilities, the design, the gem.  They loved it.  And when I told them the price they handed it back and walked away.  The supply of beer I was working on during that day dwindled. I got more and more frustrated at the response I was receiving from that shiny new gold ring.  If they loved it, why didn’t they buy it?  The price was certainly fair. Finally, near the end of the day and the end of the 6-pack, as the same scene repeated itself right up to the asking of the price, I unceremoniously blurted out “$300.”  I was sure they weren’t going to buy it anyway so why not, right?  I was stunned nearly sober when the guy pulled out 3 crisp $100 dollar bills and handed them to me, thanked me profusely for such a nice ring.   He walked away with it while showing it to his friends.
I was on to something!
And now…Custom Confidential.  With somewhat insincere apologies to Anthony Bourdain, (who wrote the best-selling “Kitchen Confidential”) I embark upon the project of written elaboration.  I will write about the indescribably delicious moments, the insights, the elations and disappointments…the stories of over 40 years of Custom Jewelry Design.

Ask any jeweler what their “least” favorite thing to do is and I bet most will say, “jewelry repair and restoration.”  I sort of agree…
Thankfully, I rarely need to repair or restore my own stuff.  I believe strongly in both design and structural integrity for the things I make.  But my clients often have pieces from other sources, some that are very meaningful for them. And honestly, even some things I didn’t make are worthy of another chance when they fail or just wear out.
Jewelry Repair as a Learning Tool
​There’s a reason I sort of agree with it being mostly a nasty task.  There are benefits to me as a designer from doing jewelry repair… it keeps my hands in the trenches. I’ve probably learned at least as much about how jewelry should be designed from repairing things than just making them.  It allows me to see what works.  And, more importantly, what doesn’t work when jewelry is worn often.  Items worn on the body take a beating.  Rings and bracelets especially take a beating.  I don’t like to disparage other’s work, but an experienced eye can tell if a designer has actually been in the trenches of repair for any length of time.
I’ll write again about some specific repair and restoration considerations but for now, I’ll leave you with this very short video about a recent project for a great client.  This ring shown above was in pretty good shape except for the detail on the sides, which had been severely worn from having worn the ring next to other rings, a common problem.  I used a combination of cutting edge technology, CAD and 3D Printing and traditional fabrication techniques to bring the ring back to near perfection!

And the outcome was great!!!  Contact us at Gary Dawson Designs to discuss your project today!

Working on Custom Jewelry Design using big, important gemstones and setting them in high-end precious metals is a thrill.  I love the challenge of making the most of this type if material and a well-executed finished project of this type certainly makes a great addition to any portfolio.  I also love any project to which my client can bring meaning, no matter the intrinsic value of the materials.  I was recently working on just such a project.  It might be easy to dismiss the simple design, Sterling Silver and crude (by some standards) nature of the gemstone. But because of the meaning, the jewel we created is precious! I smiled all the way through this custom jewelry project from initial meeting with the client to final polish and delivery.  And this is a project where I can truly claim sole authorship.
The client brought me a can of rocks…which were garnet crystals gathered by her grandfather over a lifetime of collecting these scattered gems in Idaho.  These were not to be confused with gem quality garnets. As I picked through the material some of them were mostly mud, or matrix, loosely holding small garnets together. They broke apart as I manipulated them.  I found several intact, but very included crystals that seemed like they would withstand cutting and polishing.  One did.
The infinity design that my client chose symbolizes a continuum in her family.  She is giving this piece to her Mom, the daughter of the man who collected the rocks.  And she knows that she will get it back one day with the deep knowledge of family connections built into the piece.

Around the corner from my new office there is a wine merchant, Authentica Wines, with a sign on the door that says, “Come on in, it’s only wine!”  I smile as I walk by, knowing what he’s getting at.  Like wine, custom design can seem intimidating.  Like the merchant, I know how easy and enjoyable the process can be!
How does custom design happen at Gary Dawson Jewelry Design?  Well, there’s no set rule, and there’s no typical job.  In a way it is funny that it is called custom, because there’s no “customary” way to approach a project.  The main point is that it becomes about the client and each client is unique whether it is their taste in wine, or their design preferences.  Sometimes a design process takes only a brief consultation…the client knows exactly what they want and I know exactly how to make it. Done!
More often, the process is more complex.  In this post, I’m going to take you through the initial steps of a project, still simple but slightly more complex than the slam-dunk mentioned above.  I will pull examples from a current project to show how your project might go.
A recent client brought an older ring to her first appointment that was actually three rings welded together, all yellow gold.  It had 5 smaller gems of the same size, alternating round ruby and diamond.  The center was a simple design that held the gems in a row across the finger.  On each side was a thinner solid band.  She liked the general aesthetic of this combination, but wanted to change to white gold and update the look and feel of the design while keeping it very simple.

This was met with general approval and discussion ensued about how the outer edges of the gem arrangment seemed to just end abruptly.  How could we create a more graceful transition from the gems to the solid band?  Without a lot to go on other than the idea of transition, I ran some quick ideas by the client…
One new option…

…and another
…which were immediately rejected.  The conversation then revealed that this client didn’t particularly want any form of symbolism like the fleur-de-lis and the beads filling a space didn’t do it for her either…
This is all good! I became aware long ago that a design process can sometimes take the form of a process of elimination.  With nearly infinite options, it is easier for many people to know what they don’t like than to pinpoint, much less describe, exactly what they do like.   After looking around on my website, we found a couple of design ideas that she liked and we discussed incorporating those themes into this general design.
So now we have, in a few simple steps, gained a direction (or two) to pursue.  The results are outstanding, demonstrating that the collaboration of client and artist can be extremely rewarding.

One of the new choices.

​

Recent news items have challenged the very idea of what it means to be human. Apparently, it has been determined by anthropologists that several different ape species have entered, and have perhaps been for some time, in their own version of what is referred to the “stone age” in the human developmental timeline.

Since tool using and tool making have long been considered the very definition of “human”, is it time to consider how we might redefine our humanness?
As a student of anthropology myself, I came across a tidbit I have long preserved in memory but cannot still cite the source…Members of every known culture, from ancient to modern, have adorned themselves with some form of jewelry. Could it be possible that this may help to form a new definition of what it means to be human?
I’m ready to run with that!

We would love the opportunity to enhance your human nature with a fine, custom-designed piece of jewelry!  Call now to make it happen…+1 541-729-2531

Evolution.  Does it mean abandonment of tradition? I think both yes and no, and sometimes that duality leads to clarity and sometimes conflict. World politics cry out for radical change. If you don’t believe it then you must either be one of the 1% or live under a rock. In that change begins with yourself, reevaluating personal priorities seems quite appropriate these days, it probably always did. These ideas formed and churned inside me as I looked at a recent Outside Magazine and found an advertisement for silicone wedding bands. For under US$20.
These are advertised in a magazine that appeals to people who are willing to spend many thousands of dollars on a bicycle. And additional thousands on a watch to see how fast they are riding. And more thousands of dollars for the gear that most people use to get…outside! I know this because I’m a fairly outside guy, a mountaineer and sometime rock climber with a respectable trad rack and an incredibly lightweight backpacking shelter. And yup, I saw the silicone ring ad because I have a subscription to Outside!
As a person who has spent my entire adult life designing and manufacturing custom jewelry in precious metals (often of the wedding variety) I’m just not sure how to think about silicone wedding rings. I have to admit right up front that the adventure guy in me sort of thinks they are cool. I certainly can’t wear my wedding ring, (made in 18K gold) while rock climbing. And I must consider a couple that would rather spend what precious little money they likely have to start building memories on an epic honeymoon rather than an expensive set of rings. There’s something to that for sure.
On the other hand, is silicone the material that I want to represent, the most precious thing I have, my relationship with my wife and children? Every known culture, from ancient past to present, has worn some form of body adornment in the form of jewelry. We know this because anthropologists have excavated their precious metal jewelry from long-buried sites. Thousands of years from now, does our horizon want to be the one that has abandoned precious metals for silicone? What assumptions would a future anthropologist make about our priorities upon finding a $3000 watchnext to a silicone wedding ring?
I’ll leave this with a couple of comments from an article in Road & Track Magazine by Zach Bowman. After some praise for the silicone ring he test drove he says this near the end of the article…
“That’s not to say that the (silicone) band is perfect. After a few days and multiple hand washings, it lost its factory coating. Run your hand through someone’s hair and they’ll wince as the silicone grabs at every strand. It gets stuck on clothing, and I nearly lost the thing after it fell off while I pulled my phone from my pocket. It also looks like the height of eighth grade fashion.
I’m back to my gold band, but not because it’s a better choice than the (silicone ring). My ring was there the day I swore to love my wife forever. It’s been there every day since, through every argument, every curse, and every grin. It’s marred with the scratches and dings of the years we’ve spent together…”
​

With apologies to Charles Dickens, I sum up my experience at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES2016) in Las Vegas with the impression that it fully represents the reality of the quote from the opening of “A Tale of Two Cities”. This occurs both on a personal and a broader level.
On a personal level, I deplore Las Vegas, and all of the exploitation that it represents, all of the time. And yet I find myself there on business periodically experiencing great adventure and opportunity. This year’s CES was really a wonderful experience. Within the aisles of CES one can see all the humor, fun and excitement as well as the hope and expectations of the contemporary human experience.
From a broader perspective, it is difficult to ignore the juxtaposition of all of this wonderful technology with the reality that the distraction it provides seems to be leading us as a culture further away from the experiences that, until now, provided most of the meaning in our lives. It is now cliché to see a couple or a family sitting together at a meal with all members of the group only participating in the reality of their “smart” device. How smart is that, really? And where will this eventually lead?
And while my brief first ride on a Segway Mini was really cool, would it tend to add to my flab should I eventually own one? My (and my dog’s) exercise typically consists of a 4-6 mile daily walk. If I had one of these things, would I neglect myself as I run my dog ragged on a brief ride?
The potential for an improved human existence is greatly evident at a show like CES, and it remains an inspiration to me to be able to see both improved prior technologies and new ones alike.  As a distributor of technology (see my website for that here) I am particularly interested in any new tech that might be helpful or interesting to the jewelry industry.  As a designer, I’m keenly interested in anything that can aid my design process, communication with clients, or the safety of my operation.
Here are just a very few of the items that I thought noteworthy, helpful and relatively inexpensive .  These seem mostly non-threatening (depending of course, on how they are used!) and actually useful to a lot of people.
It was the free beer that attracted me into the EZVIZ booth, a more frequently seen trade-show promotional technique.  But this time the beer led to the discovery of a product that I liked!  Jen Lynch was kind enough to give me an overview of the EZVIZ Mini, available on various commercial sites, including Amazon.  This wireless 720P camera (with audio) has a QR code on the back that once scanned leads you to the EZVIZ app and pairs your phone with the camera, allowing you to see what the camera sees from your smartphone anywhere in the world with a wireless connection.  Watch for an upgrade to HD and two-way audio soon!

Fidel Molina did a great job demonstrating the Ztylus Revolver Kit, an iPhone case with an attachment that contains 5 very useful camera lens enhancements including a polarizing and macro lens.  This project, which began as many great new products do, began on Kickstarter and seems to effectively bring a broader level of professional uses to the already good iPhone camera.
​

I had to be up very early recently to make it to a bridal show in which I was displaying my jewelry designs. As I sat with my cup of coffee, enjoying the quiet of the early morning, I heard my step-son’s alarm go off. It ceased its dreadful whine for a bit and then went off again…and this cycle repeated several times until finally, his Mom went in and woke him up. I got to thinking about explaining my view on this annoying experience to him…along with the alarm, you need to set your brain!
In general I don’t use an alarm but if it’s needed, it makes much more sense (to me) to set your alarm when you actually need to get up and then get up when it goes off. When I do this I can sleep peacefully right up until the time that I need to get going; I get those last precious moments of sleep undisturbed.

​It seems like the intermittent alarm system does a lot to ruin that last half-hour of sleep and (for me) that would be a good way to wake up cranky! Maybe the kid’s alarm system explains part of the teen angst that we are beginning to see!
How can a person just bounce out of bed at the first buzz of the alarm though? Well, I think it takes setting your brain first. In this way, actually setting the alarm is of secondary importance, it becomes a simple reminder that you want to get up at a certain time. I guess this takes actually wanting to get up and out of bed but that’s inherent in the act of setting an alarm, right?

This whole concept of setting your brain can apply in a broader sense. A tweet from my friend Andrea Hill (@supportwerks) recently came through my feed… ”Where you focus dictates your perspective. Exclusive focus on problems = feeling surrounded by problems. Choose your perspective wisely!” Of course, one can’t simply ignore problems, her use of the word “exclusive” insures that’s not what she meant. The point here is that you can set your brain to be more effective, timely and productive in just about everything you do.
And to bring it home, how you think about your relationship may help set your perspective on the jewelry you choose to symbolize that relationship. Is price your only priority? There are many options now for the price conscious jewelry shopper, from $15 silicone wedding bands to “mass customized” offerings in precious metals. If your relationship with your significant other is one of the most precious things you have, you may have a perspective beyond price and “mass” anything. And if you think that your relationship is unique in some way, you may want to consider custom jewelry!
I bet I could write more about this and tie it even more directly into you contacting me for really fine custom jewelry! But instead, I’m going to subliminally plant that idea right now… 
Let Gary Dawson Jewelry Design work with you to create stunning, unique jewelry! Why be ordinary?

I bet Ecuadorian Dollars to doughnuts that if one could adequately explain the concept of farm-to-table to the natives of this region the comment would be the cultural equivalent to, “Duh…this is how it’s done, stupid!”
Like the chef Hugh Acheson that Mr. Sachs mentions, I resolve to not be so OCD about my omelets in the future. I think I had already reached that point when I caught myself thinking a few days back, “sometimes I like a simple egg sandwich with mayo”. No need to try to find and apply the 4 kinds of mustard that I have in the fridge, or three kinds of cheese that could go on the sandwich to make it “something special”. The sandwich is already special because I’m hungry, right?  And I resolve to think about my food as though it should be farm to table, not that that’s something special…
And so how does this relate to Gary Dawson Jewelry Design and custom jewelry? I see a connection to one of my last blog posts, “Sell Out, or Challenge the Concept”, posted on December 8th, 2015. In that post I make a point that although some folks may think of me as a “sellout” for making simple bands, I think I’m ahead of the game because I’m doing what I love to do, make jewelry.  Or in the case of being in the kitchen, preparing my own food!
I love to cook, to which any frequent reader of my blog will attest! So Bravo Mr. Sachs for bringing a more down-to-earth perspective to another of the things that make me, well, me!  I feel like you got my back on this one so I’m returning the favor.  Not before I share one last foodie pic though! 

There are many excuses to sell out and I think people routinely do. They sell out to mundane or even abusive relationships in exchange for stability. They sell out to jobs they hate and dictators they fear. But where does that fine line lie between compromise and selling out?
​

What do you think of when you hear the term “Custom Design”? The Oxford Dictionary defines custom (the adjective) as follows: “Made to order for a particular customer…” This seems to reflect the usage in contemporary culture but provides for a broad and therefore vague meaning in my mind.
As an example of what I think about when I use the term custom. I’ll relate it to the service I provide to my custom clients…
I see my custom design work as a full-option service, starting with good communication to find out just what my client wants (or needs) in their jewelry. Proceeding with a start-from-scratch design process which includes client feedback on the process, and then finally hand finishing throughout.   Interestingly, the Merriam-Webster supports or at least leans more toward this type of experience than the Oxford version. It defines the word custom in use as an adjective in the following manner: “Made to fit the needs or requirements of a particular person”. I think one thing that is key here is the implication that the needs and requirements being fit here are the ones of the client, not the vendor, a hugely important distinction.
 Enter “Mass Customization”
Delving  further into the full definition of custom in Merriam-Webster, antonyms of custom include “mass-produced” and “ready-made”. Doesn’t that imply that the current buzzword “Mass Customization” is oxymoronic? It is hard for me to accept as custom a process that includes a choice of color, as long as it is somewhere between taupe and tan. Right?
As an example of mass customization, in most cases, a customized vehicle means you get to choose the color (red, green, blue, brown, gold, or white” and maybe get to choose between leather and fabric seats. One can hardly find the option of a stick shift anymore.  The vehicle you drive off the lot is essentially the same vehicle that all other buyers drive off the lot minus some relatively minor cosmetic details.
Unfortunately, the jewelry industry, in a rush to capture the custom design market segment, has bought into this devolution of the custom process. In many places, a custom ring means that the client gets to choose from a selection of pre-made shanks, hoping that their choice will fit onto the pre-made top that they like and further hoping that their choice of gem will fit into that top.

​Why be ordinary? Eschew the ordinary, go “real” custom, go bespoke! Enjoy true custom design for your lifestyle, your presence in the world, and gain satisfaction that your deserve, feel as special as you truly are.  Keeping between taupe and tan just will not do that for you.
Gary Dawson Jewelry Design does custom like no other!  Call today! +1-541-729-2531

If you search this blog using the term “Finding a Voice” you will see that I’ve written a lot lately under that title.  I’ve spoken to the challenge of re-finding a voice with new tools, (specifically CAD), the idea of expressing one’s voice while doing custom work, and explored helpful tools in finding a voice in the “beginner’s mind.” Then, finally, I made a challenge to those seeking a voice in a recent post, “Why Conform?” as I shared some thoughts that others have had on the topic as well as a few more of my own. Now, it’s time to embrace evolution!
I know that there is much more to say on this topic. For myself, I’d like to make a bold statement as I move toward a temporary close on it. We must evolve! In forming this thought, I’d like to acknowledge a dear friend, my former shop manager from the heyday of my brick and mortar jewelry design studio. Rafael, thank you!
Maybe this primarily reflects my own awakening but I think we have begun to suffer from stagnation in the jewelry industry in terms of creative use of the new tools available to us. CAD has been around in our industry for long enough for us to get past the beginner’s mistake of thinking that “because we can do this now, it’s a great idea”. Another halo anyone? Sheesh! Is it really a great idea, for example, to design and manufacture jewelry with tiny diamonds, (or more fragile gems) everywhere on the design?
I suppose that part of this is the consumer’s fault. It becomes a vicious cycle in that consumers see a certain design style that is, in the beginning, innovative. They ask for it and we designers and manufactures follow the money. Don’t get me wrong, some of the micro-pavé stuff out there is aesthetically stunning. But does it serve our industry to create an entire generation of this type of design? I suppose it will keep our repair shops busy…but is that the legacy we wish to leave for the next wave of jewelry designers and marketers?
My friend Rafael thinks that we are on the verge of the next great design revolution. I think we absolutely better be! We have the ability to design things unimaginable a few short years ago and that, of itself, is a fantastic opportunity. I’m not sure we, as an industry, have yet embraced that potential. And to be (or remain) competitive in the marketplace with the distractions of electronics and other “must haves” we need to start thinking a bit more strategically.
Pulling a quote out of context, from a website called “Fast Company” I will leave something for our industry to think about. This was written primarily pertaining to marketing to millennials, but I think it applies to a broader perspective…check it out.
” Great design streamlines, clarifies, and delights—and the most complex or chaotic experiences need it most of all. But here’s the rub: For Millennials, design is not a differentiator—it’s a cost of entry. Every startup looking to re-imagine broken industries, whether it’s housing or health care, has one thing in common: well-designed experiences. And every established giant within that same system tends to be plagued by the reverse (ever tried to open a savings account online with a major national bank?).”
Your voice is your brand, think clearly about how you want to present it.  And Contact Gary Dawson Jewelry Design when your designs need an evolved voice!

“Why wait?” we ask ourselves, when asked to stand in line anywhere. Why should I have to wait all this time (several seconds usually) for this file to load? Why wait for anything? Increasingly, we are a culture of instant gratification. We need, yes, really need people and doors and machines and circumstance of all manner to respond to our whims with a mere wave of our hand or short verbal command.
But wait…is that always what we really need? Think about it. Why wait for a train to cross the intersection before crossing on foot?

Why wait for the right weather to go sailing, or mountain climbing. Why wait for your partner to slowly walk to the alter, pausing to smile at your friends as she passes? The answer is simple, we wait for these things because they are either lifesaving or life-affirming. In these cases waiting adds quality to our lives in ways that can mean the difference between life and death, or can become hard to measure in their subtlety…and they are all important.
So why wait for Custom Jewelry Design? Why not just go pick something off a shelf somewhere, probably last minute, ‘cause it’s close enough, right? I posit that, in many cases…wrong.
I read somewhere in my anthropology studies that body adornment, (jewelry) has been utilized by every known culture, both living and historical. This may tell us something about the importance of jewelry to our sense of being human. Certainly, jewelry can be whimsical and flamboyant and irreverent. And tattoos have recently come to be a personal symbol of choice for many people.  But for many people in many cases, jewelry remains how we choose to symbolize some of the most important parts of ourselves and share it with others. We give a ring in marriage, we acknowledge friendships and important occasions with jewelry. Does this symbol, this memento really want to be one of thousands of mass-produced items? Or made soullessly by formula? I’ll let you answer this for yourself.
Here is one of my favorite passages from an email exchange I had decades ago that sort of puts the time it takes to make fine custom jewelry into perspective…
The following is a brief excerpt from the piece by Susan Crowell, writer, and (probably former at this time) ceramics instructor at U. Michigan, Ann Arbor:
“Craftsmanship is the central, qualitative element of craft, and it is at the heart of one maker’s response to the work of another…and in seeking a unified theory of craft, not a unified aesthetic, we need to focus on the act of making, not the object itself.” She discusses the writing of anthropologist Ellen Dissanayake’s in her book “Homo Aestheticus”, who describes “ART” as the task of “making special”.
Susan goes on to say…….
“For craftspeople, this making special emphasizes both the making and the special. Reversing the terms – special making- rings even truer when speaking of craft, for which the process of handwork is an essential component. As our perception of time becomes more precious and the time-intensive nature of craft increases its value, craft may even come to represent the preciousness of time itself, embodied in an object.”
And I’ll close this out by saying, “Why wait? Get started on your meaningful custom project with Gary Dawson Jewelry Design today!  I promise to make your jewelry worth the short wait for me to make it perfect for you.
​

I have many continuing thoughts on this topic which I will be sharing as I work through them, but this week, I’m taking a look at, and gleaning from what I think are a few of the best observations and advice from others who have looked at this topic. The Barbara Kingsolver quote above is how I begin.
Stephen Covey, the author of “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” has a quick and effective way of looking at the topic of Finding a Voice. He maintains first that, “voice is the overlapping of the four parts of our nature: our body, out mind, our heart, and our spirit and poses four questions…

1. What are you good at? That’s your mind.
2. What do you love doing? That’s your heart.
3. What need can you serve? That’s the body.
4. And finally, what is life asking of you? What gives your life meaning and purpose? What do you feel like you should be doing? In short, what is your conscience directing you to do? That is your spirit.”

…and goes on to say that “people are internally motivated by their own four needs: to live, to love, to learn, and to leave a legacy. And when they overlap, you have voice, your calling, your soul’s code.” His full post on the topic is here.
This seems particularly suited to makers as stated, but with modification could also be applied to people who simply seek to express their voice through what they wear, in this case, jewelry, of course! Maybe something like…

• What do you look good in?
• What are you attracted to?
• How does what you wear speak to your ethics?

And finally,

• How does wearing a certain thing make you feel?

A blog post by Leo Babuta on a site called Zen Habits has wonderful tidbits for writers and again, we may choose and apply his wisdom to both making and wearing of jewelry. One paragraph stands out to me…
”Find what feels true. You’ll write a lot, and most of it will be bullshit. You need the bullshit if you want to find the truth. Sort through the bullshit until you learn to recognize the truth, by feel, not by any logical criteria. The truth looks remarkably like bullshit.” See the rest of this great article here.
My take on this for makers is simply make a lot of things, something I’ve coached my students about continuously. For it is in the making that you will find yourself!
For the wearer of jewelry, this might look like trying on a lot of things, be bold in your exploration and through those experience you will find your own expression. Maybe a certain maker will have that “je ne sais quoi” that will do it for you, or a certain process, or a certain look that crosses traditional boundaries. Profoundly, I took away from my anthropology studies that every known culture so far has somehow used body adornment (that’s jewelry). And in your humanity you may still stand out from the crowd. Why Conform!

Let Gary Dawson Jewelry Design help you to find your personal expression in custom jewelry!
Gary Dawson

I have always really liked the velvety rich pastel blue of a nice aquamarine, the blue variety of the mineral Beryl from which also is derived Emerald. These have been hiding in my safe since the last Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, just waiting for an opportunity to emerge as the gems they were meant to be. The gem Aquamarine is the modern birthstone for March and is said to have a great deal of metaphysical power and use. I particularly like the following quote from the website linked here! “Aquamarine encourages the ideal of service to the world and to the development of a humanity attuned to healing. It emits a gentle and compassionate energy, promoting moderation and responsibility for ones’ actions. It inspires judgmental people to be more tolerant, and helps those overwhelmed by responsibility to find order.”
With 33.7 Cts. total weight in one oval and two pear shaped cabs, the plan here is to make a set of jewelry to grace the most discriminating wearer with a subtle elegance. Comfort is built into the ring in the form of a lightweight (for its size) structure featuring a modified square shank.

​I love this shank shape for its grace, comfort and practicality! If you can turn your hand so you can see a finger end-on, you will see that you finger is really not round, but more a square shape with rounded corners. This ring will fit the contours of a finger perfectly and the shape of the shank will tend to prevent the ring from rolling on the finger, important in a ring with a somewhat heavier top.
Since the two pear shapes are not identical in size, my plan is to make the earrings not perfectly symmetrical, making this set even more unique in both concept and execution. I am designing this in Rhinoceros and I’m test-printing prototypes as I’m writing this with my B9Creator 3DPrinter and expect to have the project finished in the very near future. Stay tuned for pictures of the finished set.
GARY DAWSON

Recent decades have brought much new technology to jewelry technique in both design and manufacturing. Still, it is probably safe to say that one traditional distinction holds on the manufacturing side…that of cast vs. fabricated metal jewelry. Sometimes these techniques are combined in a single piece of jewelry, but let’s examine each separately.
In the simplest terms, fabricated jewelry is formed from sheet and wire by cutting, bending, forging and joining metal into a form that is both pleasing and functional. Jewelry created in this manner may or may not hold gemstones and can take the function of ring, pendant, pin or brooch, bracelet, or any other form at all.
​

Casting in the simplest terms is pouring liquid metal into a pre-formed space and holding it there until it solidifies in the form of the hollow space into which it was poured. This is very commonly a process of lost-wax casting but can include direct casting into carved spaces in graphite, cuttlefish bone or other heat-resistant, carve-able material such as charcoal.
​

And while at times it may be difficult to distinguish technique in a finely crafted finished product by a master goldsmith, there are normally some clues.  In both cases after the process of forming, whether cast or fabricated, much effort is put into finishing the piece. Even with the currently popular, “rough finish” look found so often in venues such as ETSY, some effort is needed to make the look uniform and comfortable to wear.
Are one of these techniques superior? Of course that depends on criteria, but probably not. A valid argument could be made that fabrication is the foundation of all other techniques, including casting, owing to the previously mentioned clean-up and finishing process. Once cast, an object is rarely “ready-to-go” and the artisan will need to use those basic fabrication skills of cutting (sprue removal), filing (smoothing the surface), sanding (as a pre-finish) and polishing.

Also, a fabricated object created out of milled materials (sheet and wire) will have gone through various stages of compressing the material into higher density than a cast object. Milling the material prior to forming, and sometimes the forming itself will compact the crystalline structure of the metal which may tend to remove or resolve issues of micro-porosity or small voids that can interfere with the final finish. This increased density can, in some cases, even make the metal more durable. But while all of that is true, the finished cast product of an accomplished goldsmith will be minimally effected by these issues, if at all.
At Gary Dawson Jewelry Design, we make use of nearly every available technology to insure your jewelry is created to the highest standards for trouble-free, heirloom quality each time. Choosing the appropriate technology for each process is essential to our process!

​Have you ever tried to broach a topic with someone in which they considered themselves “expert”? Probably. And you may have experienced some frustration in that conversation…am I right? And how about the frustration that you sometimes experience with yourself when you try to learn something new, especially if it is not entirely new, but is an extension of something you already know. Is there any connection between these two experiences? Maybe. That thread of connection may lead us into a discussion of the Beginner’s Mind.
In Zen Buddhism, Shoshin is described simply as “The Beginner’s Mind”. Watch any 2 year old and you will see pure Beginner’s Mind in action. At that stage of life, utilizing a beginner’s mind comes pretty easy because that’s nearly all one has to experience the world…no deep experience in anything! The toddler’s approach to learning is not much imposed upon by prior experience. Conversely, later in life, when we have deep experience in something, anything really, we tend to bring expectations of mastery, and a set of paradigms that can constrict our further learning. I know I have experienced this, in fact I am experiencing it now in my attempt to learn a new CAD application and it’s making me a little crazy. So maybe I’m writing this mostly for my own benefit but I think that we can all gain something if we remember to apply a little Shoshin within our routines. An attitude of openness, eagerness, and a lack of preconceptions can bring a new level of experience when we remember to use it.
One area of immediate benefit might be in how we approach new (and old) acquaintances. I think I’m pretty good at this because I began working on my own version of presumption quite early in my life thanks to my folks. My Mom was from a large Southern family that mostly seemed to retain throughout their lives a horribly racist attitude. Lucky for me, owing to the way I was brought up, I was quite confused when I encountered this in my aunts and uncles. Neither my Mom nor my Dad ever spoke of anyone in terms of race. And later, in an anthropology class, (my degree) I discovered that there are really only two types of people in the whole world, sitters and squatters. And if arguing about toilet habits is your thing, maybe you are beyond the help of anything I can write!
But if you would like to learn more in your life, and experience more of life to the fullest, try a few simple things to start accessing your beginner’s mind. If you walk on a regular basis, as I do, try begin your next walk by taking a moment to clear your mind any previous memory of your route. Then, use all of your senses as you proceed…What does it sound like and smell like and “feel” like at any point in your route? Is there a place where the wind is stronger, or the air is quieter? And then take this to the next level. If you are an “expert” at anything, the next time someone tries to talk to you about that topic, try to forget everything you know about it and approach the topic from a place of openness and eagerness with no preconceptions about the topic or where the conversation will go. Try listening more than talking! This may not work all the time, and every occasion may not be the best time to try this so you get to choose when to utilize your beginner’s mind.
I find that bringing this attitude into my design studio is particularly helpful. When I take a moment each day, or each week or even each month and try to design something with NO preconceptions, and with an open and eager mind, I am often surprised at the delightfulness of what I discover within myself. Try it and you’ll be saying, “Where the heck did that come from?” as you smile at what you’ve accomplished.

A wise professor of mine once said to his social science class, “Every dollar you spend is a vote, so watch closely how you spend your money.” I have tried to live this credo throughout my life and thankfully it is getting somewhat easier to do. Not that many big companies are getting more transparent, mind you…there are just more tools available to watch how your money is working. So, how, you may ask, can a responsible consumer purchase precious metal and gemstone jewelry while still adhering to goals of “green sustainable and conflict-free? Despite a plethora of available information, (Kimberley Process, Sustainable Jewellery and American Gem Trade Association, for example) this is not an easy question to answer honestly in a few words. Here’s my rather simple take on it…
We might first look at the cliché, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle as it applies to our questions about responsible jewelry. Just how much jewelry do you need, really? But reduce? Well, as your favorite jewelry designer, I’d be remiss for the sake of my family (and my sanity, for I love what I do so much), in telling you not to buy jewelry, right? Also, I once smiled as I read that every known culture has used some form of body adornment, (aka jewelry!) So as humans, we must actually need jewelry in some way! And following our ancestral beginnings, making the things we wear meaningful rather than frivolous might be a start in the right direction.
Recycle and Re-use? Of course! With the concept of recycling (sometimes called repurposing) my business begins to feel warm and fuzzy (socially responsible) as well as bright and shiny! One of the things I specialize in is reusing your precious materials. In resetting your grandmother’s diamonds, for example, I can often directly recycle the gold or platinum they were mounted in. When that is the case, you only end up paying for my time in making your jewelry, not necessarily additional materials. There are sometimes sound reasons not to directly recycle…I can’t re-cast white gold into yellow gold, for example, but I do have refiner partners in the business who will do small-batch refining. That means when we send your old gold to them, they separate the materials and return your actual gold molecules to us to re-alloy to our needs. Not only do we realize the benefit of reduced environmental impact in doing this, we are still wearing Grandma’s jewelry, just in a style that we can now appreciate!

Finally, when we want to create entirely new works in precious metals and gemstones Gary Dawson Jewelry Design holds our suppliers to high standards . When we buy gold, we only buy it from refineries that recycle, not from suppliers of newly-mined materials. And our gemstones sources are closely vetted for fair-trade and conflict free.
Please call 541-729-2531 for specific requests and we will track it down for you.  Your jewelry should not only look good, it should feel good too!