Willkommen zu meiner neuen Kategorie. Schön, dass du meinem reißerischen – Verzeihung – reimerischen Sonntagsruf gefolgt bist.

I will start in San Francisco.

Hier werd‘ ich mich also nach Herzenslust und MonTALK-Manier austoben. Mein Herz ausschütten. Meckern. Motzen. Muddeln. Über sämtliche Themen, die mir unter den Schellack-Nägeln brennen. Oder eher: Die mich am Wochenende bewegt haben. Rund um den Globus.

Denn: Wie war doch gleich mein Wochenende, Schatz?

Making jewelry as amateurs

As you know the Net helps you with everything. Although, me and my husband are already married we’ve found a spot and the great opportunity doing a workshop of making jewelry.

Right on the edge of the 24th and Valencia located in the San Francisco Mission District on the second floor is the studio (1258 Valencia St.) of Adam Clark.
Originally from Rhode Island, he grew up with a school-teaching mother and a father who was a creative builder.

»His first exposure to jewelry making was visiting his grandmother while she was working at a jewelry manufacturer.«
Scintillant Studio, »a community space dedicated to teaching and supporting all levels of jewelry artists and metal craftspeople«, was opened in 2000.

We recently met the owner Adam by waiting in front of our apartment. A week from now since yesterday he picked us up on a windy but sunny Sunday morning. On a fungible time of the day we’ve drove to his garage, located on the edge of the City. Big black circled wheel skid marks from heavy Harley Davidson signed the asphalt in front of a fenced off area. Behind the walls – what an adventure! Big fascinating machineries and tools.
 We were ready for our workshop.

Oily-smooth beauty of the machineries, rough atmosphere, glossy surfaces. It smelled like crafts spirit and my husband and me amidst in all of it. (BTW: Adam shares his factory with a guy repairing ice maschines. One should definitely know someone like him!) We’ve operated machinery from the Second World War.

What happened that day was unique like the City itself or the San Franciscans, who lives in it. Making jewelry right on our own in a studio in company with the qualified and enjoyable guidance of Adam, that puts a professional twist on the concept of “DIY”.

In 1994, he taught his first wedding ring workshop and »Today, I have guided 500 couples in the making of rings« as he answered us.
We’ve create our own custom wedding bands, right as his slogan says:

»Craft the beginning of a life together«

We came as an excited and nervous couple. And left: Being hooked. As amateurs we’ve experienced the fascination of creating a piece of jewelry with the certainty how a bar of steel and a lot of »swarfes«, hours, twirls and finger movements later has shrunk, while it has grown into a band.

It was formed right in front of our eyes. We did it. And Adam Clark deserves the credit for this. It was fun having him around, which is noteworthy during a one-day workshop. Some memories will rest. Will always remains with us. This is one of those. The unusual atmosphere and extraordinary experience will stay for the rest of our lives. 

MonTalkSchnack

Here’s a snippet of our conversation with the private teacher and patient, skillful guide and likable Adam.

What is your favorite material to work with? And which material isn’t easy to handle?
 


What I love to work with changes but right now Mokume gone a Japanese wood grain metal. Each ring is unique and I feel I have enjoy perfecting the patterning process. 
I really don’t like Rose gold. It is like a dirty flaky person you have to work with but never really get comfortable with. It has a tendency to suddenly melt without any warning, it is dirty and hard … I do love the way it looks though in the end.

About Adam the artist: How many hours did you invest in the most special piece of jewelry? Or is there something else you’ve worked on a lot more hours?

I used to make my own art using jewelry as a format but lately I make sculptural work with steel and wood mostly. Part of it is logistics I own my jewelry school so I can never sit down and make anything without having someone come in and ask questions , bother me or off opinions. at my sculpture studio nobody bothers me. I finished a sculpture late in 2015 that took 3 years. it is a steel picture frame with 21 various handguns bursting out of the frame. I made them all from scratch and they all look to the casual eye to be real guns. None are replicas.. they are just my interpretation of guns I have seen in movies and on tv. (Adam sent me a shot, »ha! pun intended«)

About the personal Adam: What does a perfect wedding ring need in your opinion? And how would it look like?

I like simple bands really high karat gold custom alloyed with a warm hue comfort fit and low dome and perhaps a natural red diamond set inside.

If you should describe the worlds situation with a piece of jewelry, a tool or a machine – what would it be? 
 


Whew…  the world is so complicated. Any statement I could make to describe it would be a joke. I have always felt that artists that strive to make that large of a statement are often too easy to dismiss as idealistic fools.

Is there something obnoxious or dangerous you wouldn’t forge or help students or costumers to create? 



The list is growing but I am done with meteorite, tried it and it is terrible to work with yields a result that is often reactive (it rusts) and more often than not is poisonous ( contains nickel and cobalt).
Nickel white gold is a nightmare and toxic.
Adding Birth stones to rings is what you do when you get a Brooch made for your grandmother not in your wedding rings!  There is no such thing as Black metal… if there were I would work with it … all the stuff you see online are coatings and WILL rub off.
Trust me I could go on …

We’ve trusted you, Adam! Thank you!

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