Our guests on Metalsmith Benchtalk on Thursday, September 10th, 2015 at 3:00 pm PST are lapidary artists and jewelers Tom and Kay Benham. 

Please join us for this LIVE interview and participate by logging onto the chat room at Blogtalkradio.com or by sending a message directly to Whaley Studios via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. 

About Tom and Kay:

Tom has been a lapidary and jeweler for more than forty years.  Kay, the beneficiary of his creations over the years, eventually yielded to the lure of creating jewelry and joined Tom in the workshop.  

Over the past 15 years, Tom and Kay have had more than 50 lapidary and metalsmithing articles and projects published in the Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine.  Since January 2002, they have co-edited a monthly column in which they field questions and offer advice on a variety of jewelry making topics.  

They taught Intarsia classes for several years and currently teach Chasing & Repoussé classes at William Holland School of Lapidary Arts.  In addition, Tom and Kay have taught Chasing & Repoussé and metalworking and lapidary workshops for The Florida Society of Goldsmiths; Creative Side Jewelry Academy, Austin, TX; Denver School of Metal Arts, Denver, CO; and for gem & mineral societies in Florida and Texas.

Metalsmith Benchtalk with Lapidary Artists and Jewelers Tom and Kay Benham

UPDATE: Metalsmith Benchtalk is taking a break indefinitely and no longer broadcasting live. Please enjoy over 6 years of archived shows in the meantime. Thank you for listening!  Metalsmith Benchtalk is hosted by Master Goldsmith Jay Whaley, owner of Whaley Studios, and co-hosted and technically produced by his student of 2 years, Ashley Elizabeth Kendrick, (Aly). Whaley Studios is all things jewelry and the art of metalsmithing. Teaching has been a passion of Jay's for some time- he served as the head jewelery instructor at the University of California, San Diego, Crafts Center for over two decades and is also the owner/operator of Whaley Studios in the Hillcrest District of San Diego, and the inventor of many fine metalsmithing tools. "Jay is willing to tackle challenging issues within the craft community and invite a wide range of personalities. There is nothing else like it!" - Harriete Estel Berman During our program, our intention is to feature artists in the craft and discuss, educate, problem solve and entertain callers while we consider topics of interest in the metalsmithing and jewelry making trades.

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Our guest on Metalsmith Benchtalk on Thursday, December 3rd, 2015 at 3:00 PM PST is award-winning jewelry designer and gem cutter, gemologist John Heusler. If you have questions for John during the LIVE conversation, please join the chat room at Blogtalkradio.com or send a message to Whaley Studios via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. John F. Heusler, G. G. (GIA) is a gemologist, jewelry designer, and lapidary who has been cutting gems and making jewelry for over 45 years. He is an award-winning designer for both his jewelry design and gem cutting. He owned and operated a fine jewelry store in St. Louis, MO, for 31 years. John has a Facebook page, Heusler Academy, where he shows his newest creations. He teaches classes in jewelry design, lapidary, and carving gemstones. John has traveled to locations all over the world to collect gems. He digs many of his own gemstones which he cuts and sells online, at fine art shows, and at gem and mineral shows. His newest discoveries are Jessite and Kaily Agate, which are named after his two daughters Jessica and Kaily. He has written "how-to" tutorials and in-depth articles for Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist on both gems that were featured in 2014.

Metalsmith Benchtalk with Gemologist John

Our guest on Metalsmith Benchtalk on Thursday, November 19th, 2015 at 3:00 PM PST is metalsmith and jewelry artist from Sonoma County, Linda Weiss. Join us for this live conversation and participate by logging onto the chatroom at Blogtalkradio.com or send a message to Whaley Studios via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. About Linda: Santa Rosa metalsmith Linda Weiss designs and fabricates custom jewelry and art in her studio in Sonoma County, California. Linda specializes in working with 18K Gold, Sterling Silver, Platinum, Bronze, Pewter & Enamel and South Sea, Tahitian & Biwa Pearls, Star Sapphire, Diamond, Lapis, Opal, Ruby & Tanzanite."It is my belief that exacting craftsmanship should complement creative expression. It is my intent that my jewelry be comfortably wearable and contribute to the wearer’s distinct individuality. With my holloware, I aspire to invite the viewer to experience the vessel from a tactile as well as visual perspective. I remain dedicated to creating aesthetically unique, enduring designs of the highest quality craftsmanship."Website  

Metalsmith Benchtalk with Metalsmith and Jewelry Artist Linda Weiss

Our guest on Metalsmith Benchtalk on Thursday, November 12th, 2015 at 3:00pm PST is Helen Driggs, the Senior Editor of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist, as well as a metalsmith, artist, and instructor. If you have a question for Helen during the LIVE conversation, please join us in the chatroom on Blogtalkradio.com or send a message to Whaley Studios via Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. About Helen:"I am formally educated as an illustrator, however my need to explore science, the natural world, and 3D object creation has inspired me to enter the alchemical world of the metalsmith. I fabricate my metalwork from raw materials and do the lapidary work and cutting for most of my own stones.I have studied independently with some of the most talented metalsmith/jewelers of our time: Michael Boyd, Michael Good, Jim Dailing, Harold O’Connor, Bob Ebendorf, Todd Reed, Alan Revere, Julie Jerman-Melka, Mary Ann Scherr, Betty Helen Longhi, Cynthia Eid, Michael David Sturlin and Marcia Lewis. I owe them the debt of honor and gratitude for their teachings."Website

Metalsmith Benchtalk with Artist and Metalsmith Helen Driggs

Our guest on Metalsmith Benchtalk on Thursday, November 5th, 2015 at 3:00 pm PST is Marc Choyt, president of Reflective Images Jewelry and the first licensed Fairtrade jeweler in America! If you have a question for our guest, please log onto the chatroom at Blogtalkradio.com or send a message to Whaley Studios via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. For the past ten years Marc has taken action against dirty gold and the blood diamond atrocity. He began writing, speaking and campaigning about ethical sourcing jewelry issues. This lead to the co-founding of Fair Jewelry Action in 2009. Reflective Images also began to introduce the option of Fairtrade gold into their work in 2011.In April 2015, after ten years as ethical sourcing pioneers, Reflective Images Jewelry became the first licensed Fairtrade Jeweler in the USA. Marc worked hard with Fair Trade International to bring this about, and he continues to guide Fair Trades' launch in the US market as their main commercial liaison: providing critical contacts to main suppliers and laying the groundwork for more jewelers to enter the system. Since 1995, under Helen's creative direction, Reflective Images continues to craft jewelry that brings benefit and beauty to the world.Website

Metalsmith Benchtalk with Marc Choyt, President of Reflective Images Jewelry

This Thursday, October 29th at 3 p.m. PDT on MetalSmith BenchTalk, we'll be going back into the archives for one of our favorite past episodes- a chat with artist and jeweler Sydney Lynch. About: Since 1981, jewelry artist Sydney Lynch has been designing and making her handmade jewelry featuring contemporary earrings, bracelets, necklaces, pendants and pins in 18k and 22k gold and sterling silver. From her studio in Lincoln, Nebraska, Sydney creates both her Designer Line and singular One Of A Kind pieces that include a variety of gemstones such as opal, aquamarine, tourmaline,diamonds, pearls, beryl, peridot and sapphire set in high karat gold and silver.I fell in love with jewelry when I was young, rummaging through my grandmother’s bureau drawers, enchanted by her treasure trove of costume jewelry that she kept in a jumble of tiny boxes, each with its own story. Since childhood I have accumulated and “curated” my collections of objects, found and acquired, assembling them in patterns and groupings that often inspire my jewelry designs. I think of these pebbles, shells, rusted metal fragments and art objects as an archive of personal memories.While working on the Navajo Reservation during college, I fell in love with the wide open western landscape and met my first silversmiths who inspired me to learn to make my own jewelry. I moved from Connecticut to Colorado, where I got my BFA at the University of Colorado, and decided if nothing else, a traditional career wasn’t for me. I eventually relocated to a farm in Nebraska, then to Lincoln, where I now live. I have an airy, sun-filled studio where I work with two bench assistants and my husband. For more info, visit http://sydneylynch.com/.

Metalsmith Benchtalk with Lapidary Artists and Jewelers Tom and Kay Benham

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