Hi! I'm Jessee J. Smith, and this is my studio. The bench in the photo is where I spend many of my waking hours, making the jewelry that's featured throughout the website.

I've been interested in costume in general and jewelry in particular for as long as I can remember. I began doing beadwork when I was 13, and first got into metalsmithing at 16 while enrolled as an art major at the College of Mount St. Joseph. When I began taking Biology classes at MSJ (beginning with Entomology), I fell in love with the subject and added a second major in Natural Science. This combination of art and natural history was one that would eventually inspire all of my work.

With Dave's guidance, I developed a way of setting small panels of loom-woven beadwork into solid frames of sterling silver. While I consider this type of jewelry the focal point of my studio, much of my energy is also devoted to making cast and constructed jewelry that reflects lifelong interests in ancient cultures, the natural world, and formalist design.

• • What's the difference between cast and constructed jewelry?
• • How are those beads held together?
• • Is each beaded piece "one of a kind"?
• • How should I care for my beadwork and silver jewelry?

Cast jewelry is made through the ancient "lost wax" process. An original model (usually carved from hard wax) is made of a jewelry piece or component. This model is then placed into a cylindrical flask and a fine-grained plaster ("investment") is poured over it and allowed to harden. The flask is heated in a kiln at a high temperature, and the wax burns out, leaving a perfect mold of the original model. Molten metal is poured into the flask and it is usually vacuumed or spun in a centrifuge to ensure that the metal fills all the voids in the investment. Once the metal is no longer glowing hot, the flask is plunged into cool water and the investment crumbles away, leaving a duplicate of the original model.

In cast jewelry, most of the work takes place before the casting process. Intricate models may require several days of designing and carving. Therefore, a rubber or silicone mold is usually made of the wax original when it is finished, and additional waxes are then made from this mold. In this manner, many pieces may be made from the same model. Each of my cast pieces undergoes several stages of hand-finishing, and constructed findings are usually added to complete each piece.

Constructed jewelry, on the other hand, is built up from metal stock: sheet, wire or rod, and tubing. The processes used in construction are far too numerous to list here, but they fall into several major categories: cutting, forging/forming, texturing, and soldering. Stock is generally cut with a hand saw, and shapes are refined using files or rotary tools. Sheet may be formed by bending and folding or by hammering it into depressions or over a mandrel; wire may be manipulated by using pliers of various shapes. Sheet and wire can be textured by engraving, hammering, or stamping. Solder is used to join the various parts of a piece; many separate soldering operations must be used for complex designs.

Because constructed pieces can take many hours to complete, their value lies more in their workmanship and design than in the materials used. Each constructed piece is truly unique and cannot be exactly reproduced.

Casting and construction are often combined to produce unique designs. Many Silverspot Studio pieces are made using both techniques.

How are those beads held together?

The beaded panels featured in my jewelry are generally made by loom-weaving, a technique that was developed centuries ago in Europe and independently (also centuries ago) by Native Americans. In loom-woven beadwork, a series of warp threads is strung on a simple loom--mine is made from pine boards, springs, and dowel rods. Enough space is left between each pair of warps to accept a single bead. A weft thread is tied to one of the warps, threaded with an appropriate number of beads, and passed below the warp threads. The beads are pressed upward to nestle them between the warp threads, and then the warp is passed back through the beads, over the warp threads.

Once finished, each beaded panel is carefully trimmed of its protruding threads, and a low-viscosity epoxy is used to inlay the beadwork into its frame. The tips of the threads are pressed into the epoxy and the piece is cured under low heat.

Is each beaded piece "one of a kind"?

Er...yes and no. The major effort involved in my beaded pieces is not the beadwork itself, but the planning of the design. This may take several hours, depending on the complexity of the pattern being depicted. Choosing bead colors to match those of the original creature is a process of trial and error, and several different combinations may be tried before the best one emerges. Also, beads vary in size and shape depending on their age, color, finish, and place of origin, so I often find it necessary to weave a panel and then add or remove beads so that it exactly fits its frame.

All this effort means that once a pattern has been developed, I will make quite a few pieces of jewelry based on it. Because each panel is hand-woven and the beads do vary, even two pieces based on the same pattern will never be exactly alike--just similar.

How should I care for my beadwork and silver jewelry?

Because the beadwork panel is completely surrounded by sterling silver, Silverspot Studio's beadwork jewelry is quite durable and easy to wear. However, I do not recommend cleaning beadwork jewelry in ultrasonic machines or cleaning solutions, as this may damage the finish of some types of beads. With each beadwork jewelry order, I enclose a Blitz™ polishing cloth that will allow you to remove and prevent tarnish without damaging the beadwork.

If the beadwork itself should become soiled or discolored from contact with skin oils, it may be cleaned using a drop of dishwashing liquid and a soft brush (an old toothbrush works well). Scrub the beads lightly to remove any debris. Most importantly, never use an abrasive cleaning solution on beadwork jewelry, as this will damage both the beads and the finish of the silver.

The Silverspot Studio Guarantee

I take pride in the quality and craftsmanship of all my work, and each piece that leaves the studio must therefore be as flawless as I can make it. I guarantee all of my jewelry against damage or breakage due to flaws in materials or workmanship, and will repair or replace any defective piece. This doesn't, of course, cover damage resulting from unusual abuse (say, dropping your pendant into the garbage disposal). While fine jewelry should be treated with a certain amount of care, all of my pieces are made to last for generations.

I also offer cleaning, re-polishing, and repair services to rejuvenate your Silverspot Studio jewelry if it begins to show signs of wear. Charges for this service will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

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