Combining things you love really rocks! You are the founders of the club and then take it a step further and make wonderful jewelry with metals, rocks, minerals, stones and fossils. How did you both get started in working with shiny stones and metals?

Cynthia: I've always loved stones. I collected tumbled stones and such when I was a little girl, and got really interested in college when I found out about metaphysical applications (healing, protection, etc.). I've been collecting rough mineral specimens awhile, and I got into making jewelry when I realized that there were gemstone beads to be had. It was a natural progression from there to metalwork for me, so now I also hoard cabochons and faceted stones. As for training, I've had very, very minimal amounts of it. The only class I've ever taken was a weekender on cuttlefish casting at the John C. Campbell Folk School. I'm currently at the Gemological Institute for America (GIA) trying to earn my Graduate Gemology (GG) degree, and thinking about taking their bench jeweler's course as well.

Henry: Originally I wanted to be a blacksmith but soon found out that I couldn't because I didn't have a long beard or a funny hat. After realizing that, it made sense to merge my interest in metalworking with Cynthia's talent for jewelry-making, so I took a basic jewelry metalworking course at the Campbell School in 2005. Since then my training has come from books, a short direct casting class, sharing knowledge with other artisans, and bloody, cussing, expensive trial and error.


Do you each do your own designs and pieces or is there a combined effort?

Cynthia: We often work on our own designs and go to each other for critique. Every now and then we do collaborate, like on the "Pele" necklace, where Henry made the center bead and I did the bead work.

Henry: I usually design my own pieces, but I find that asking Cynthia's input before I make anything is extremely helpful: she can help spot potential problems that I don't see. I'm getting to be very picky about finishing, so sometimes I'll confiscate one of Cynthia's pieces and work on it with the flex shaft until I feel better.
You know, it would be an interesting challenge for both of us to design a piece that the other has to make.


What is cuttlefish casting?


Cynthia: Cuttlefish casting is a version of direct casting, the oldest casting method that there is. It's not an incredibly high-tech process: You start by prepping a cuttlefish bone to make your mold. When you're finished, you back it with either another cuttlefish bone, or you can use a piece of ceiling tile cut to the shape of the cuttlefish bone, and tape them very firmly together. In the mold itself, you will have carved a sprue and sprue gate, which are basically the funnel you pour your molten metal into. You then set your mold upright in a deep pan with sand to hold it steady. Melt your metal of choice in a crucible with your torch, and quickly pour it into the mold. If you use pewter, there's a good chance you can reuse the mold, but metals with higher melting points like silver and gold will burn up the mold and ruin it. It's a good idea to make a pewter copy first, so you can make another mold with it if you need to. You might be familiar with cuttlefish bone and not even know it – most pet stores carry it, it's that long, white, chalky thing that birds scrape their beaks on. The chalky side of the cuttlefish bone is what you use to carve your mold (the back has a hard, flaky shell). Cuttlefish bone creates that nice woodgrain-like pattern because the chalky bone has grown pattern ridges that will imprint on whatever metal you use. This is not a process for control freaks, I have to say. The more careful and exacting you are about how you prepare your mold, the more likely you are to get what you want out of it, but there's always a chance that you'll be surprised by the result. It's fun like that.

Henry: Yep, and it smells like burning fish.


Can you give us a little primer on attaching stones to metal.

Cynthia: It depends on what tools you have and what you're comfortable with; there are tons of different ways to set stones, and some of them are really innovative. I'm a big fan of bezel-setting because it's easier than prong-setting and it better protects the stone. Channel and flush setting are both lovely, and techniques I would like to learn. Invisible settings look neat, but be wary of them because it's very easy to knock a stone loose.

Henry: I'd recommend reading Tim McCreight's instructions on stone setting. He has many publications; all are great. There are many, many traditional methods of stone setting, and no limit on new creative methods. Check out ~noformdesign for some rocking tension settings and creative use of screws. Your only limitations are your skills, tools and materials.


World pin garnet looks to be influenced by fractals. Where do you get your inspirations?

Henry: I love organic patterns, curves, spirals, phi proportion and mythology. These interests are fundamental, and inescapable for me. They intermix and influence my work, sometimes obviously, sometimes not. The World Pin design is indirectly influenced by fractals. It is based on the Julia Set crop circle, whose pattern is a fractal closely related to the Mandlebrot set. The Julia Set is probably my all-time favorite crop circle, and my love for crop circles stems from my core interests. I would love to create an entire series based on other crop circles and geometric symmetry.
There are many artists I admire, no few of them are on deviantart, and most of them are way more talented than I am. Also there are a few musicians who's work is important to me. It isn't that music influences my work exactly, but certain songs evoke emotions that I hope my pieces will also inspire.

Your marriage of metals is certainly different from what is commonly seen in jewelry. Are there special techniques in combining metals?

Henry: You must have clean, perfectly fitting joints and the right solder for your metals. You can also heat fuse certain metals without solder, which is what some of the leading mokume artists do (such as James Binnion), but I've yet to try it. Honestly, I'm not much on an expert on MOM: I've only done it three or four times. Maybe my MOM style is distinct because I don't really know what I'm doing!



How hard was it to make something like the ammonite talisman II?

Cynthia: I didn't make that one, but I'm going to chime in that every piece has its challenges. Some are easier to make than you ever expected, and some are deceptively complex. The Secret Keeper locket is probably the single piece I've spent the most time on, somewhere around 20 hours, but the it's a tie between the Boulder Opal Collar and the Crowned Labradorite pendant as to which one gave me the most temper tantrums.

Henry: The difficulty with the ammonite talisman series was designing the setting, connection and bail so that it would be comfortable and secure but not damage the fragile pyrite fossil. I was afraid of ending up with a garnet sitting in a pile of scorched pyrite dust. Fortunately, those particular fossils have a natural hole in the center that allows the bail and the setting to connect as one piece. I assemble them by making the setting and bail separately, then cold-connecting them together with the fossil. As for the concept itself, it was easy. When I saw the fossil at a gem show the idea immediately popped into my head.


A lot of your pieces look to be commission work, what level would you consider yourselves to be at today?

Cynthia: Professional newbie? Experienced hack? Not really sure on that one, it depends on your perspective on the jewelry industry v. artisan work. The more I learn, the more I need to learn.

Henry: Now that we have a California sellers permit, a jeweler's bench and GIA resources, I feel a lot more professional. Still part-time, though.


You mention you are learning to grade stones? Where are you hoping to go with these skills in the future?

Cynthia: I want to be Indiana Jones, Gem Hunter. I'd love to be a buyer for colored stones and get to travel to the countries of origin. After that…I'm not too sure. It would be nice to own a retail venue sometime in the distant future, but I want a lot more industry experience before I even think about going there.

Henry: I hope to keep up enough to understand what the hell she's talking about.


Is there any advice you can give on photographing jewelry?

Henry: First of all, I'm very flattered that people like my photography enough to ask this question, and I am planning to write an in-depth tutorial for the Rockhounds club, so look out for it. There are also several free online tutorials available. I suggest anyone interested in the subject start with a Google search. I'm going to keep this answer simple.
Photographing jewelry can range from fairly simple to extremely tedious, depending on your needs, pieces and equipment. It's also possible to do a lot without investing too much money. Here are some very basic pointers to get you on the right track.

Know your needs. Are your photos for the web, print, personal records or professional brochures? Defining this will determine your setup, output and costs.

Equipment. The right equipment is crucial. Total control is needed, and a manual-focus camera is by far the best for this. Detachable-lens cameras (SLRs) are best, but good results can be achieved with fixed-lens cameras. A tripod is mandatory, no exceptions, or you will have blurry pictures. A remote exposure control is helpful to avoid bumping the camera, but it is not essential. A macro lens is helpful, but not essential if you don't need your images for large-scale printing.

Lighting. Good lighting is the difference between a professional capture and a snapshot. Good photos require careful management of how light falls on the piece. There are two types of lighting: continuous and flash. Continuous simply means a light that doesn't flash, like a lamp. Continuous lighting is the best option because you can see the piece exactly how it will look in the photo. You want to find the brightest bulbs possible: I suggest low intensity "energy saver" bulbs because they are very bright but do not radiate much heat. A metal bowl lamp is a good option because it reflects light directionally and is cheap. (Both are available at any hardware store.) You will probably need a light stand for each lamp, as well.

It is also possible to use natural light for your photos. This can be somewhat tricky with jewelry as taking your pieces outside can subject them to weather and dust that looks bad in a photo. Most photographers prefer a studio setup for jewelry, but if you have a very sunny room or want to try your luck outside, it can be done.

White balance is important, too, when shooting digital. Know your lighting environment, keep it consistent (don't mix sunlight with tungsten light bulb light) and adjust your camera's white balance to match. It is far more difficult to color-correct after a photo is taken than to do it right the first time.

Diffusion. Jewelry looks best under diffused (soft) light. If you've ever shot outside you'll notice that you get better results on a cloudy day than a sunny day. This is because clouds diffuse the sunlight, making it even and soft. To diffuse your light at home, you can either use diffusion paper on your lamps (available at a video or theater lighting supply shop) or to use a light tent. You may purchase a light tent or make one yourself, and there are several online tutorials for making them. (I made mine from a collapsible laundry bin, white nylon fabric and sewing thread, for about $20 total as opposed to $150 for a retail version.)

Setup. You need a sturdy table or desk for your setup, with ample space on or around it for your lights, tripod and yourself. If you do a lot of shooting and have the space to spare in your house, it's very convenient to dedicate an area to your setup since it can be a pain to frequently assemble and strike.

Again, these are basic pointers that I hope will help get people on the right track to improving their jewelry photography. It does take some time and practice to be proficient and is really important for communicating the quality of your work, so don't give up! Remember, photography requires creativity, so have fun with it and the personality of your work will come through in the presentation.


*SoulStoneDesigns

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