The Industry

December, 2014 Sterling Silver, Cubic Zirconias, Quartz The ring is 5cm tall. The big stone is: 3.1cm x 2.1cm x 5cm (HxWxD)

Some more old work.

This ring was part of a series of work where I made fun of the modern commercial jewelry aesthetic. The idea came from working within the jewelry industry for a time, and becoming acutely aware of just how gaudy and ugly a lot of rings were. The stones were incredibly important for those rings, and more often than not designs would be based around shoehorning the biggest rock they could into a particular ring. So, I decided to take this idea to its next logical extreme by setting a comically large stone on top of a massive band.

Here’s a snippet from the original artist statement:

It is an aberrant abomination which I hesitate to call a ring. It is an absurd joke befitting the mockery that I consider contemporary jewelry to be. It represents all the contempt which I hold towards the gem encrusted standard created by the likes of companies who care more about their bottom line than creativity. It is the next logical progression to the ungodly "centerpiece" gems which are so often the focal point of their jewelry items. It is absurd, it is comical, and it is how I view such jewelry.

USB-Pot February, 2011 Copper, Brass, Bronze, USB stick and old mouse parts

During my time at MassART, they had an annual a cross critique with the Main College of Art. Students would prepares an object based on a theme, and we meet up to critique them all. In 2011, our theme was vessels: an object which is designated to hold something.

My vessel was a teapot with a USB stick inside it. The teapot is a very traditional metalsmithing object, one which use to be a sort of rite of passage for amateur silversmiths. I wanted to use this language to create something with a bit more of a modern twist to it, so I scaled it down and wired up a 256mb USB flashdrive to a USB cord. Now instead of holding liquid, this vessel holds information.

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Here's some more old work. I think I got the USB drive from PAX 2010. Wizards of the Coast had a booth and they gave away these rubber bracelets with USB drives in them. They had something like, 256mb capacity and came pre-loaded with an executable for Duels of the Planeswalkers.

Anyway, here's a WIP photo I found of it. (Courtesy of my shitty flip phone.)

Apollo (Brooch)

I have been meaning to post more of my artwork here, so here's one:

July, 2020 Gibeon meteorite, sterling silver, stainless steel wire 54mm x 48mm x 5mm (HxWxD | Measured at the thickest point.)

Iron meteorites are hunks of metal which amble through space for billions of years. Sometimes, against all odds, these extraterrestrial objects will find their way to our small planet, where they will sit for millions of years until one of our own discovers them through chance.

If you cut one of these meteorites in half you will reveal an intricate lattice-work structure of two different nickel-like alloys. They call these “Widmanstätten Patterns”, and they are unique to every meteorite. (Meteorites are sort of like deadly cosmic snowflakes if you think about it.) These patterns are the product of phenomenal cosmic forces acting upon the metal as it aimlessly drifts through space for a truly unimaginable amount of time.

This brooch features a fraction of one such meteorite in the center of it that I cut, shaped, polished, and then etched to reveal its unique pattern. The formal aspect of this brooch was heavily inspired by the Voyager 2 space probe, as well as fictional interstellar objects depicted in retro-futuristic illustrations from the 1970s and 80s. The silhouette was designed to direct attention to the extraterrestrial centerpiece and signify space exploration through iconic design elements.

In the end, everything is made of stardust; some of it is just a long way from home.

December, 2019 Copper, brass, nickel, faux fur, tie-tacks Hair varies; metal rim is 40mm in diameter, 2.5mm thick

A series of three brooches I made for very good friends of mine for Christmas. The three of them are furries, and each brooch contains scraps of faux fur from their specific fur suit.

Since it is not quite socially acceptable to wear a fur suit to most events (business meetings, interviews, funerals, etc.) these aim to serve as the next best thing. It is a subtle nod towards this sub-culture, and as well as a potential secret handshake for those who are also part of the scene.

Funny story about the brooch in the middle: I went to college with the recipient of this brooch, and we both majored in metalsmithing. There was one assignment where everyone had to make a box out of brass sheet metal, and he chose to use an alloy called "Nickel Silver" instead.

For those unaware, nickel silver is a pain in the ass to work with for most applications, but it's a fucking nightmare if you're trying to fabricate it into a large hollow form via flat sheets, using an acetylene torch to braze it. (Colloquially known as "soldering.") One fun quirk of that metal is that it likes to bow and warp in response to being heated up, which is the exact opposite of what you want when making a square box where everything has to be fit together perfectly. But he stuck with it and finished that box. So I made his brooch out of nickel silver as a little in-joke.

(To clarify: I am not a furry. However, a reputable source has assured me that they believe a badger would be my fursona. Take that however you'd like.)

March, 2016 Sterling silver, anthracite, diamonds, stainless steel 4.6cm x 4.2cm x 1.6cm (HxWxD; measured at the thickest point.)

More old work. This was written before the industry used marketing alchemy to normalize buying low-grade diamonds for high-grade prices. Anyway, here's the artist statement:

It might seem a bit cliché, but I feel that there is a lot to be said about the comparison between diamonds and coal. Most people know that the two of them are related to one another through a common thread, namely carbon, but that is usually where the well-known similarities end. However, the truth of the matter is that these two are more alike than that, as they both see heavy use within industrial applications.

Contrary to what the gem industry would have you believe, (and trust me: they have spent untold riches, time, and energy to make you believe it) diamonds are not all that rare; lower quality “industry grade” diamonds are actually quite plentiful. These diamonds lack the clarity, color, and sparkle of their “jewelry quality” counterparts, but aside from their dull, opaque appearance they are still the same stone. Since diamonds are one of the hardest substances known to man, it should come to no surprise that they are used as an abrasive when cutting, drilling, and grinding.

Coal on the other hand is known for its ability to produce energy when heated, which makes it a viable fuel source. That is not doing it justice however, as coal has historically been one of the most important fuel substances: it brought about the industrial revolution and literally fueled the rapid development of civilization for hundreds of years. (Albeit, at a heavy cost.) They are also both surrounded in a myriad of controversy: with coal being condemned for its impact on the environment, and diamonds for the lack of ethics employed by the companies who have been engaging in unchecked human exploitation for generations--all with complete impunity.

However, there is one very major thing that sets diamonds apart from coal, and that is its heavy use in jewelry; many consider these sparkly lumps of carbon to be the pinnacle of gem craft. It is painstakingly cut and polished into a shape that can be readily set in jewelry while refracting light as efficiently as possible.

Coal on the other hand almost never leaves its original, pragmatic state. This brooch serves to provide an exception to that rule, as it takes both of these materials out of their utilitarian contexts and puts them into a purely ornamental one. It seeks to subvert diamond���s unquestionable, dogmatic presence within the jewelry, as they are haphazardly sprinkled along the surface of the coal, like some kind of growth or rash. They proudly violate the "conventional wisdom" of jewelry design, refusing to compliment the composition of the piece in any meaningful way; they are a series of long, uninterrupted a-tonal screeches in an otherwise coherent musical.

In this brooch, the coal takes center stage: it is bold, lustrous, and left unapologetically raw. The brooch’s design is influenced by this rawness, with the silver backing following its outline and the placement of the prongs being dependent on the location of the many peaks and valleys which occur on the surface. The coal is grafted to the piece with sharp, claw-like prongs; on display is a more broadly useful symbol of human suffering, with a more sinister one reduced to an obtrusive, interloping design element.

New guillotine brooch; perfect for the malcontent in your life.

February, 2022 Copper, brass, nickel, and stainless steel 52mm x 30mm x 6.5mm (HxWxD | Measured at the thickest point.)

Fordite studs. #fordite #jewelry #handmade #earrings #metalsmithing #studearrings (at Waltham, Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQtfbtDB_3E/?utm_medium=tumblr

New earrings. Sterling silver and pattern welded steel. #metalsmith #metalsmithing #earrings #handmade #jewelry #silver #damascus #patternweldedsteel (at Waltham, Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNXdplwhU-e/?igshid=xewz263k7jyf

I made myself a new earring. I’m not going to say the Reign of Terror was a great idea... but...

I couldn’t find a Y2K patch I liked, so I made one. Fun fact: custom patches usually require a minimum order of 100... so uh... new patch for sale on my website: https://www.wmvmetalsmithing.com/web-store/i-survived-y2k-patch

A brooch with a bone face; commission work. (at Waltham, Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/CL67IoZBXSd/?igshid=1tk170y8d2i0w

Dumpster part 4: fire. (The secret is lint coated with patrolium jelly.) #fuck2020 #metalsmith #dumpsterfire #copper #brass #metalsmithing #dumpster #2020 #Isurvived2020 (at Waltham, Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/CJoVlL2BCMf/?igshid=w35u8lkx368c

A E S T H E T I C S (B R O O C H)

Sterling silver & stainless steel wire

April 2019

This is a sterling silver brooch I made back in the spring of 2019. 

A ring I made inspired by Uzumaki. Damascus steel and sterling silver, 2019.

Another earring I made for myself; this one was back in 2018. It is a piece of Fordite scrap that I polished and attached to the silver “frame” with an 18k gold rivet.

6cm x 1.3mm x 2mm (HxWxD | Measured at the thickest point.)

A Sheriff’s Badge for the Modern Cowboy September, 2019 3d Printed resin, sterling silver, stainless steel 46mm in diameter, 7mm thick 

A brooch I made for a former professor of mine. He was one of the pioneers of 3d printing within the jewelry medium; you can read more about it on my website: https://www.wmvmetalsmithing.com/#/cad-cowboy/