20 June 2019
Design Process

Many pieces I make I already have a fairly clear image in my head of how it will unfold, which requires measuring and working out sizing (for rings and setting stones) but little or no sketching.

For more intricate designs and commissions, everything is measured and counted within a fraction of a gram. Aside from working from Italy and having international clients – which requires sizing to be perfect to avoid shipping to and fro – gold and silver cost, so measuring twice and cutting once is vital.

The design process for a commission goes like this: The client emails what they would like and we discuss materials and a basic concept for the piece’s design.

I then ask for a deposit (I used to hate doing asking upfront, but I’ve learnt in the past – as I know many, many artisans have experienced the hard way – that some folk have it mind that we artyfarts really like working for free and that our research, photography, sketching, ordering, admin, and time, isn’t valued as part of the making process).

Once I receive the deposit, I research and sketch, email, discuss, etc, until the client is satisfied, and order materials and then get cracking with forging the design into life.

 

I generally work on my commissions in the morning, when I’m fresh, and usually when I’m alone in the studio, without distraction. Music on, doors wide open in summer (woodfire roaring in winter), and there I find my zen.