About the Artist
My exploration of gold and silversmithing began in 1970 with a high-school jewelry class and continued at the College of Marin where I studied under Glenn Miller. I took outside courses with renowned jewelers like William Clark and at the Revere Academy to build my skills and learn specialized techniques like tube-forming, stone- setting, and more. My father—a painting professor at College of Marin—introduced me to the granulation work of John Paul Miller. His work exemplified the level of craftsmanship I aspired to as a young artist, and Miller remains one of my jewelry heroes.
I continued with a mix of self-taught explorations and teaching evening jewelry classes, but everything shifted in my late twenties while on a bike-trip through Europe. A series of serendipitous events unfolded, and my planned two-month trip became a two-year quest when I landed a guest-student spot at a German trade school. It was there that the ancient gold granulation technique I’d been attempting finally clicked. Upon returning to California, I immersed myself in the technique and eventually fascination matured into mastery. Fifty-years later I am still just as enamored with and inspired by the limitless artistic possibilities of goldsmithing.
The Dream Team
Meeting my wife Lynn in 1989 was the pivotal moment in both my life and my creative practice. Lynn’s experience in high fashion, her background as a buyer for a jewelry gallery, and her natural business acumen perfectly complimented my artistic skills. Together we embarked on what is now a 30-plus year journey of partnership in life and business.
How the courses came to life
Throughout the decades, teaching and mentorship have been a beautiful way to promote the craft of goldsmithing and build a community amongst artists. I’ve shared my knowledge at workshops in places like the Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina and The Revere Academy in San Francisco, among others. In 2018, Lynn started sharing short videos of my jewelry- making process on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.
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There was an immediate response from jewelers and jewelry students alike wanting to know more about the techniques. With Lynn at the helm, we designed an online program in advanced jewelry fabrication called Unveil Your Mastery. Since 2019, we’ve hosted four week- long workshops a year onsite in our scenic, secluded studio in gorgeous Washington where we teach granulation, alloying, stone setting, and much more.
How I help my students
I offer a unique perspective in jewelry fabrication that is a good fit for passionate jewelry students who want to get an inside look at how a master works, and try new avenues of creative design. My 50+ years of experience is freely given to my students, and I strive to communicate my knowledge to all levels, from intermediate to advanced students, and professionals.
My explanations are thorough and designed to benefit you at your level of understanding. My ultimate goal is to teach you to be more creative in your design and planning process, and become better at problem solving—which is really where most of creative jewelry design comes into play.
Whether it’s in our online format or in person, I am available to help you with everything from setting up soldering operations to judging what thicknesses or sizes of material are needed for any design, steps in fabrication, and the list is endless! Working together is a truly unique opportunity.
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—JANE DOE, TUCSON, AZ
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet.
—JANE DOE, TUCSON, AZ
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet.
—JANE DOE, TUCSON, AZ
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Learn something new every month from visionary artist & master goldsmith Kent Raible
Kent's monthly newsletter contains useful bench tips and mini-lessons for bench jewelers and jewelry designers wishing to elevate their jewelry to the next level.