After a voice told artist Karen Smith she’d go to Senegal, she went. Apprenticing there with a master goldsmith, she was watched constantly but silently by a young girl. “She thinks you’re a ghost,” someone finally told Karen. “She’s never seen a woman do what you’re doing.” In response, in 2019 Karen launched We Wield the Hammer in Oakland, CA, determined to empower young women of African descent to wield all the tools and equipment in a good jewelry studio, and launch their own businesses, too. Join Karen and host Katie Hacker as they discuss the progress Karen has made on her startup in this especially tumultuous year, and the hurdles she still faces.
--------
34:10
Lenka Bindzar: The Magic of Tucson
Each year in January and February, people gather in Tucson, Arizona to buy and sell beads, gems, and other treasures from around the world. There are over 40 shows in different venues across the city, all with their own flavor. To me, the experience feels like part shopping adventure, learning experience, and family reunion. While I was in Tucson, I caught up with Lenka Bindzar, the owner of Raven's Journey, who has been traveling to Tucson to sell Czech glass beads for the past two decades.
Show Notes can be found here: https://www.interweave.com/jewelry-artist-podcast/treasures-in-tucson-lenka-bindzar/
--------
13:38
Todd Reed and the 5th C of Diamonds
Known for his stunning jewelry designs featuring rough diamonds, innovative artisan jeweler Todd Reed has been redefining luxury and championing ethical sourcing throughout his career. Turning the notion of fine jewelry on its head, he is drawn to these uncut, unpolished diamond crystals for the quirkiness of their personalities. From the perfect simplicity of a single cube to a busy crystal cluster bristling with different shapes, he finds raw diamonds fascinating and provocative. He also loves the challenge of creating custom settings for stones just as they come out of the ground. Listen in with host Katie Hacker and learn to look beyond cut, color, clarity and carat weight to the character of a diamond in its natural state.
Learn more here: https://www.interweave.com/jewelry-artist-podcast/todd-reed-diamond-jewelry/
--------
31:31
Tracy Matthews, Tune-Up Your Business
Tracy Matthews is a jewelry designer, entrepreneur, and Chief Visionary Officer of Flourish & Thrive Academy. She's also the host of the top-rated Thrive By Design Podcast. Tracy's new book, The Desired Brand Effect, is packed with strategies, steps, real-life stories, and resources to help you build your jewelry business – or any business. In this episode, Tracy shares suggestions for visionary leadership, alternative business plans, and more.
Learn more here: https://www.interweave.com/jewelry-artist-podcast/tune-up-jewelry-business-tracy-matthews/
--------
36:49
Jean Gribbon, The Science of Art
Jean Gribbon founded and directs Beads of Courage, Inc., an innovative arts-in-medicine nonprofit that supports children coping with serious illness, as well as their families and health care providers. Members receive colorful glass beads during the course of their treatment, which provides a connection between the child, clinician, and caring community. In this episode, we talk about the intersection between art and science – and why experiencing art and making things is good for us.
Learn more: https://www.interweave.com/jewelry-artist-podcast/jean-gribbon-science-art/
Jewelry experts share their successes and offer lessons they’ve learned along the way. Listen in with host Katie Hacker for tips, trends, advice on selling your jewelry, using tools, shopping for jewelry making materials, and how you can impact the environment in better ways. Discover how this intimate accessory and historic status symbol has brought people together and apart, and how jewelry connects makers and wearers today.
France