Magic in the Process I’ve been casting precious metals for over 40 years and have a deep understanding of how it works on levels mechanical, chemical, and metallurgical. Metal density and flow temperatures, spruing and gating, I have even researched my own way to mix investment for optimal results with a variety of materials. And still, on a gut level, it remains something akin to magic. Transformational…literally. Earth, Fire, Water, Air…All present and necessary in the casting process as a carved wax or 3D printed plastic model is transformed into solid gold…or silver, or platinum. Still blows me away and I hope it always will. Magic in the Connection The magic doesn’t stop there. Or begin there for that matter. Another very magical part of what I do is connect. I participate in some of the most important events in the lives of the people I work with. Relationships, weddings, anniversaries, births, deaths, and many other transition points in their lives are celebrated, or memorialized, or remembered by the jewelry I make. Often perfect strangers when first met, my clients share, sometimes confide, details of their lives no one else knows. I respect that. And it allows me to build aspects into the jewelry I make for them that would not otherwise be possible. Serial intimacy at its best… Magic in Understanding Understanding process is very important. We need to know how to go about what we do, each of us in our own way. And understanding the connections we make and build upon is even more important in that without context, what we do is largely irrelevant. In a recent presentation in front of 170 of my industry peers I made the point that body adornment may be one of the few, if not the only, essential differentiators for defining what it is to be human. If this is true, I think it is for both the statement it allows us to project and the connection it helps us make with our fellow humans. 
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