MJSA, the trade association dedicated to professional excellence in jewelry making and design, will debut a new seminar series, “At the Bench and Beyond,” at the 2017 AGTA GemFair Tucson. Running twice daily from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3 in GemFair’s Tools, Technology, and Supplies pavilion, the sessions will cover topics ranging from bench repair and production techniques to the art of communicating through words and pictures.
The sessions are sponsored by the American Gem Trade Association. The bench and tools used in the demonstrations are sponsored by Stuller Inc. in Lafayette, LA.
Below you’ll find the full schedule and the sessions’ presenters. For more information, go to www.MJSA.org. For information about AGTA GemFair, which runs January 31 to February 5 at the Tucson Convention Center, visit www.AGTA.org.
January 31
Red Flags for Repairs
Presenter: Arthur Skuratowicz
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Some repair jobs are simple – and some only seem simple. Many times, one repair is a signal that other problems lurk below the surface. In this session, Arthur Skuratowicz offers common “red flags” to help you uncover all of the problem areas in a piece of jewelry, as well as handy tips to ensure those repairs go as smoothly as possible.
Hold It! Creating Your Own Fixtures for Holding and Positioning
Presenter: Arthur Skuratowicz
3:30 to 5 p.m.
Whether you’re assembling components, repairing or modifying a piece of jewelry, or simply trying to fit together the parts of a design, you need a workpiece to hold steady. In this session, Arthur Skuratowicz will take a page from woodworkers and luthiers to demonstrate how to make your own positioning fixtures for complex fabrication or repetitive assembly. Ensure that even the most hard-to-hold shapes remain still for greater accuracy and ease.
February 1
Digital Design Tricks for Gemstones
Presenter: Gary Dawson
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Thanks to the latest digital technologies – from high-end design software right down to the phone in your pocket – incorporating gemstones into a design has never been easier. Join Gary Dawson as he demonstrates how to use the latest technology to create gemstone arrays easily, adjust settings more accurately, and incorporate even the most unusually shaped gems into unique designs.
Techniques for Small-Scale Production
Presenter: Gary Dawson
3:30 to 5 p.m.
From how to best set up workpieces for batch soldering to techniques for mass finishing, Gary Dawson will show how to apply small-scale production strategies and techniques in your shop. Employing both live demonstrations and video, this interactive session will help you to increase your production while maintaining the quality and finish associated with hand-crafted items.
February 2
The Art of Communication 1: The Basics
Presenter: Lisa Krikawa
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a bench jeweler, a designer, a salesperson, a store owner, or all of the above – at some point, your success will depend on how well you listen and communicate your ideas. In this session, Lisa Krikawa will share some strategies to help ensure that two-way communication flows smoothly. Learn about the basic personality traits, ways to identify them in yourself and others, and using that knowledge to hone your listening skills, adapt your presentation, and get your message across.
The Art of Communication 2: Practical Sketching
Presenter: Lisa Krikawa
3:30 to 5 p.m.
Whether you want to bring a design to life before your customer’s eyes, or provide visual guidance to a CAD artist or model maker, one sketch is worth a thousand words. In this interactive demonstration, Lisa Krikawa will present an easy-to-master sketching method that not only communicates design concepts, but does it so accurately that you can use it to calculate gemstone weights. This is your chance to learn how to communicate through images.
February 3
Photographing Gem-Set Jewelry, Part 1: DIY Basics
Presenter: Matthew Perosi
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Whether you’re developing an ad campaign or preparing an e-commerce storefront, you need quality images of your work to command attention and drive sales. In this session, web guru and photography aficionado Matthew Perosi will describe the challenges in photographing gem-set jewelry, then provide a tutorial on how to choose the best camera and lens for the job, use proper lighting, and create the right backgrounds for powerful, provocative shots – inexpensively.
Photographing Gem-Set Jewelry, Part 2: DIY Demos
Presenter: Matthew Perosi
3:30 to 5 p.m.
Bring your own camera to participate in this live demonstration of taking compelling photos. Matthew Perosi will show various camera techniques and illustrate how proper lighting and backgrounds can make your images memorable. He’ll also offer some post-processing tips to help you enhance and perfect your images. Whether you’re a newbie or an experienced hand with a camera, you’re sure to walk away with at least one photography pointer from this session.
For more information please visit http://www.mjsa.org/eventsprograms/at_the_bench_and_beyond.
