MJSA JournalEvery month, the award-winning MJSA Journal offers design ideas, fabrication and production techniques, bench tips, business and marketing insights, and trend and technology updates—the information crucial for business success. "More than other publications, MJSA Journal is oriented toward people like me: those trying to earn a living by designing and making jewelry," says Jim Binnion of James Binnion Metal Arts.
Click here for a FREE four-month trial subscription.
All around the world, jewelers have been scouring their workshops, trying to capture each and every errant particle of gold to send in for refining to take advantage of the elevated metal prices. If you’re one of them, you may be wondering if you’re doing all that you can to recover every bit of metal within your shop. To help you maximize your metal returns, we spoke with several refining experts on their best tips and strategies for jewelers as they undertake their workshop cleanups. By Shawna Kulpa
Cuttlefish bone casting is one of the oldest casting techniques. Although it’s not in much use today within the jewelry industry, it offers clear advantages over other, more modern, casting methods, including low costs and the ability to produce a casting in half an hour. In this excerpt from her Santa Fe Symposium paper, Margaretha Held explores this ancient technique, how it can be applied as an element of art to reproduce a piece of jewelry, and the many design options and structures that can be created. By Margaretha Held
After months of home confinement and a lot of uncertainty, consumers are looking for ways to find comfort and to treat themselves. Based on recent surveys and industry reports, it looks as if fine jewelry could fare well this upcoming holiday season. Diamonds and silver are among the product categories leading the way toward a positive outlook for fourth quarter sales . By Deborah A. Yonick
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 related disruptions, positive business signs are starting to emerge. While sales data shows the jewelry industry took a much deeper decline than total retail, it also show a unexpected level of resilience through the peak months of the pandemic. By Howard Dupuy, FGA
These are confusing, even scary, times, and it’s only human to go through a range of emotions as we encounter new challenges and consider a future of both social and financial deprivations. But once you cycle through those emotions, it is important to come back to this thought: The only way to fare well during times of duress is to be flexible, accepting, adaptive, and curious. By Andrea Hill
When Connecticut-based designer Judith Kaufman came across a donut-shaped periwinkle druzy quartz at a Tucson gem show, she started seeing stars. Discover how Kaufman used that gemstone as starting point to create a stunning celestial brooch, evoking a familiar motif from her 40-plus year career. By Tina Snyder
A centuries old casting technique, cuttlebone casting uses the calcified remains of the cuttlefish and can be used to accurately create an array of designs. One common technique imparts a beautiful and natural wood grain texture on the cast piece thanks to the cuttlebone’s growth lines. Learn how to employ this ancient technique in your shop. By Tony DeLuca
Check out this month’s entry from Designer Betsy Cross and read about the inspiration and process behind her pendant necklace design.
Interested in advertising in MJSA Journal and reaching thousands of professional jewelry makers and designers? Download our Media Kit. MJSA members receive a $700 discount on display advertising.
If you’re not yet a member of MJSA, you can subscribe to the Journal for an annual fee of $47.
To begin receiving the information that Journal readers rely monthly on to succeed, just click here.
Not sure yet about subscribing? Just click here for a free four-month trial subscription — no obligations!
Have a Subscription Renewal Notice that you would like to pay? Click here to pay online today!
MJSA members receive a free subscription to MJSA Journal, as well as a $700 discount on display advertising.
