Is this really handmade? and Is there value in handmade jewellery?
Two very good questions, and ones I thought I had covered in a previous blog. However, after recent discussions on social media, I'm not so sure that I did, so let’s address them again.
Is this really handmade?
How many times do you see the word handmade in jewellery descriptions? But what does ‘handmade’ actually mean, and perhaps more importantly, what do potential customers believe it to mean.
To many people, handmade means exactly that. Every component of a piece of jewellery has been cut, shaped, soldered, finished and polished by hand, by the maker, it is straight from the jeweller's bench to the customer.
However, this isn't always the case.
Many beautiful pieces of jewellery are outsourced to casting houses. A design begins as a hand-carved wax model, a CAD drawing or a master pattern, which is then sent to a casting house where a mould is created from that master. Molten silver or gold is poured into the mould, and the resulting piece is either finished by the casting house or returned to the jeweller for polishing and finishing. At this point, it is important to stop for a moment to recognise the time, skill and artistry involved in the initial design process and the finishing process, as these stages cannot be overlooked.
Not all cast jewellery is outsourced; there are many jewellers who cast jewellery themselves in their own workshop, and by doing so they are handling the design, the casting and the finishing stages themselves. And let us not forget that sandcasting is a skill in itself.
Of course, these are simplified explanations of far more technical processes, but in essence the question is, has the cast piece itself been handmade in the true sense of the word, or would a more accurate product description be handcrafted, or cast from an original design? Cast pieces come in all shapes and forms.
By comparison, a truly handmade piece usually takes considerably longer to create. The maker designs the piece, selects and sources the materials, they then cut, form, solder, file and polish every layer and every tiny detail. Every hammer strike, every sweep of the file and every finishing touch leaves its own subtle mark.
Which brings us to the second question.
Is there value in handmade?
One could argue that 'value' starts with the design and the hours that follow making mistakes and starting again, and also the time spent ensuring that the materials work together and that the design is strong, wearable and has longevity. Consider the passion, focus, skill and time that goes into the making, and the repeated buffing and polishing until the finish is exactly as it should be, and sometimes there is the added joy that a teeny weeny scratch has been missed, and so the buffing and polishing process starts again. And throughout all of this, there is the music that the maker listens to, the conversations and the person that comes into the workshop to tell them their news, the dog snoring on the sofa in the corner and of course the endless cups of tea. I guess it comes down to how we as individuals measure ‘value’.
The question of whether a piece is truly handmade was recently highlighted by experienced jeweller Andrew Berry of Andrew Berry Jewellery, and didn’t he open a box of frogs. His Facebook post not only raised the question, but it led to a thread of comments on outsourcing to casting houses vs handmade in a workshop, which I’m pretty sure was not his intention.
Ultimately the issue is not whether one process is respected or valued higher than the other, or whether one process requires more skill than the other. Every process requires skill and craftsmanship, and every workshop holds its own stories. The issue is about authentic and transparent product descriptions and honest conversations about how a piece has been made. Importantly it is about the customers own perception of value, and having the facts to be able to make an informed decision about the piece of jewellery they may be about to buy.
So, in all honesty….
Is there value in handmade? Absolutely
Is there value in cast jewellery? Absolutely
Is this really handmade? Let’s read the product description and if it is ambiguous, let’s ask the question and then decide.