MJSA, the trade alliance dedicated to professional excellence in jewelry making and design, will present a series of demonstrations at AGTA GemFair Tucson based on the technical and business expertise found in its monthly magazine, MJSA Journal.
The series, titled MJSA Journal LIVE, will feature daily sessions Feb. 1-3 at the convention center in Tucson, Arizona. The sessions will take place from 3 to 4 p.m. and offer the expertise of three MJSA Journal contributors, who will provide instruction in bench work, CAD design, and freehand sketching.
- Helen Driggs is an experienced metalsmith, artist, teacher, and author. A former columnist for Lapidary Journal/Jewelry Artist, she now writes a regular At the Bench column in MJSA Journal and blogs for Gesswein and the JOGS show (materialsmithing.wordpress.com).
- Gary Dawson is the owner of Gary Dawson Designs, an online custom design operation. A recent recipient of the Jewelry Technology Leader Award from the Santa Fe Symposium, he is a Rhino (CAD) trainer accredited by McNeel & Associates (garydawsondesigns.com).
- Rémy Rotenier is a Paris-born jewelry designer and award-winning artist. In addition to designing collections, he creates custom designs for private clientele and has created several instructional videos demonstrating his famous rendering techniques (remyrotenier.com).
The Bench & Tool Sponsor is Gesswein, a globally recognized distributor of precision tools based in Bridgeport, Connecticut (gesswein.com).
A full schedule is listed below. For more information about the program, visit the Events section at MJSA.org. For more information about AGTA GemFair Tucson, go to AGTA.org.
February 1
Cold Connections: Drilling and Riveting Organic Materials
Presented by Helen Driggs
Rivets offer jewelers a way to attach organic materials that can’t be soldered. However, those fragile materials first must be drilled, which can pose its own challenges. In this demonstration, Helen Driggs will offer a quick method to hold and drill materials without cracking, then follow that up with a demonstration of how to create, secure, and finish hollow rivets.
February 2
CAD Intelligence: Tips for “Blips” when Working in Rhino
Presented by Gary Dawson
CAD designers often must deal with “blips” – small problems that can cause big headaches. Gary Dawson will explore how to handle some common “blips” in such tasks as filleting, blending, surfacing, and Boolean operations. He’ll also show how to develop workarounds when problems can’t be avoided and will leave time to troubleshoot attendees’ specific issues. For beginner to experienced modelers.
February 3
Customer Communication: A Step-by-Step Guide to Drawing Pearls
Presented by Rémy Rotenier
Pearls are finding their way into assorted styles – even men’s accessories and engagement rings – and a picture can make all the difference when explaining a design concept to a customer. In this hands-on session, Rémy Rotenier will teach you how to sketch pearls of different types – round white, black Tahitian drops, and baroque. No experience necessary. Pencils and pads will be available.
