The allure of karat gold has tempted us since it was first discovered. One of my favorite stops while in Tucson for the gem shows is checking out native gold specimens and gazing upon the beauty that Mother Nature has created. These chunks of intricate nuggets have been pulled out of the Earth, and it is oftentimes unbelievable to witness them in real life. My short time spent staring at these raw pieces always leaves me appreciative and forever curious of this awesome industry that I get to be a part of — the jewelry industry!
As with most artists, everyone’s medium starts out with the same basic materials — a cup of paint, drawing utensils, a canvas, etc…for jewelers, it is sort of is similar — some metal, a torch, a jewelers’ bench, carving tools. While the materials continue to stay the same, the art form that’s created from them continually evolves over time. From ever-changing trends, to consumer demand, to new gemstone discoveries, or advanced equipment, makers are continually striving to create their next piece while setting themselves apart from others.
I have teamed up with May Is Gold Month to feature six talented makers, each with unique design styles and a heavy passion for gold. Every maker in this feature uses karat gold within their designs and has agreed to voice their take on this special metal. Hope you enjoy!
Victoria Cunningham
How is karat gold important in your work?
When I began creating jewelry over 25 years ago I used sterling silver. Once I started working with gold I never looked back. I love 14k yellow gold. It has a soft warm color that looks good on every skin tone. It is rich yet understated, and I love the way it looks as it wears over time. I have always been obsessed with jewelry. As a result, I developed an eye for the “real thing,” and noticed jewelry wherever I went. I continue to be inspired to create the perfect treasured piece that one can put on and never take off. Nothing lasts like gold and I think it gets better with time.
Why do you like working with karat gold?
Since I am not a formally trained jeweler, I am still learning the trade. Mostly, I create the waxes for casting and work on finishing. After many years of trial and error, my partner and I developed my signature matte finish. Once the piece is sand blasted, I lightly hammer the surface. It can be tricky because gold is soft and marks easily. Hammering gives it a specific highlighted quality against the matte finish that the polisher cannot duplicate. And of course you have to be careful when the stones have been set because hammering can cause them to fall out. I also hammer the edges whenever possible because it gives the piece a “well worn” look. A trained jeweler might not hammer at the end, but I think it gives my work a unique finish. The durability and lasting quality of gold makes it very satisfying to work with. I hope to do it for many more years.
Learn more about Victoria Cunningham here.
Walters Faith
How is karat gold important in your work?
Why do you like working with karat gold?
Gold is very important to us and our collections. We choose to work in 18k gold as it is precious and soft to work with. We believe rose gold complements all skin tones. It is soft, feminine and elegant and we love how it mixes with both white and yellow metals. Rose gold paired with diamonds is our perfect combination. We like to think of our collection as both bold and fine, offering solid weighty pieces (we never hollow our jewelry out) and also precious in 18 karat gold.
Learn more about Walters Faith here.
Noble by Nature
How is karat gold important in your work?
In a world where we are constantly inundated with mass-produced everything, I strive to make jewelry that is as unique and precious as the individuals who wear it. I want my pieces to be worn often and treasured for a lifetime, and gold is the natural choice for such timeless creations. I work primarily with 14k because it’s durable enough for even the daintiest of pieces to hold up to a lifetime of daily wear. There is also an intrinsic value that gold holds, which is on par with the gemstones I use, and the care and time I put into sculpting each piece by hand. I started using recycled gold in an effort to be more eco-friendly and have also found it to be incredibly cathartic to turn outdated and mass-produced pieces into one of a kind treasures.
Why do you like working with karat gold?
I sculpt each creation out of wax, rarely using molds. I focus mostly on the experimental technique of casting the stones directly into the metal (vs traditional jewelry-making methods where the stones are set after). Creating jewelry in this way is very time-consuming and risky but I absolutely adore how it gives every single piece its own unique personality.
When I send a wax piece off to casting, I usually say a little prayer. If something goes wrong, there is no second try – both the wax model and the stones would be destroyed. Simply put, I get the best results with gold. When casting with gold, I can rest easy, knowing that every detail and texture in the wax will be captured and translated perfectly into the metal, as I envisioned it. The moment I finally see my waxes alchemized into gold is exhilarating. It’s truly a magical feeling to hold a sparkly treasure in my hand that was once just an idea floating around in my head.
Learn more about Noble by Nature here.
Dallas Maynard Jewelry
How is karat gold important in your work?
We adorn ourselves in this precious element and in return it creates a link to the past, present and future. It holds almost a mystical type of energy and takes on memory that we pass down for generations. It’s transformed into some of the most beautiful pieces of wearable art and we trust it to hold some of our most beloved jewels.
Creating jewelry in gold for a lifetime of wear is not only an honor, but something I value as an extremely sentimental goldsmith.
Why do you like working with karat gold?
There’s something very magical about working with gold- you have to create a relationship with how it works, how it melts and how it responds to different methods of fabrication. It’s very grounding working with gold and the simple nature and purity of gold is so alluring that you can’t help but fall in love with it. Creating tiny heirlooms and tokens of texture makes me feel as if I’m creating something with a purpose.
I also hand carve a lot of my pieces in wax and the magic of gold will later take on the form of that carved creation. I love taking bits of heirloom gold and working it into new creations- mixing the two creates something even more meaningful for the person wearing it, and that’s why I love working with gold.
Learn more about Dallas Maynard Jewelry here.
LFR Studios
How is karat gold important in your work?
For decades my creative work took mostly the form of painting. In search of the minimum necessary to create interesting and inventive form, my paintings were often made of droplets and rivulets of watercolor on paper. Occasionally I even abandoned the pigment all together and just used water. As the paper dried it warped and form was then created by the play of light and shadow on the large, wavy sheets of paper. More recently, taking a cue from historic illuminated manuscripts, I have been using gold leaf in the works as a means of collecting, absorbing and reflecting light.
Light is compelling and the impulse to capture the many manners of its expression and manifestation in the world runs deep. Working with gems and gold is another way of exploring and manipulating light and color. Gold absorbs and reflects light in different ways depending on the karat and finish. Particularly appealing to me is the deep luster of high karat gold.
Why do you like working with karat gold?
I am drawn to the way gold asserts itself with its particular intensity of color that is at once bright and subdued. I love the way it comes from deep within the earth, is cold to the touch and then warms to the body’s temperature when worn. The weight of high-karat gold holds and steadies the bright play of light of the gems, grounds them and protects them. By extension and association, gold grounds and protects the wearer, their dreams, aspirations and intentions.
Learn more about LFR Studios here.
Nathalie Siman Jewelry
How is karat gold important in your work?
Is the most important part of my work, it is such a Nobel material, it behaves like one. Gold makes me feel so in touch with mother nature and makes me so much more conscious about how I respect our Mother Earth. As much as Gold is everlasting it also carries our past,our history ,culture and heritage. Its purity is so spiritual; it is the DNA of our brand. Its color fascinates me; it makes me feel like I am wearing a piece of the sun itself.
Why do you like working with karat gold?
Once you work with Gold, that’s it, you never look back.It’s love at first sight. Is the most romantic of all materials to work with. Gold is so malleable and so forgiving when heating it. I enjoy having gold powder on my finger prints and every stroke of the file is so soft and pure . The Alchemia when adding other metals like Copper to make it more pink is a wonderful transformation. Without a doubt the most magical material I know.
Learn more about Nathalie Siman Jewelry here.
This sponsored post was brought to you in collaboration with May Is Gold Month.
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The post 2021 May Is Gold Month — Celebrating Six Different Makers appeared first on Gem Gossip – Jewelry Blog.
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