This is a good day to do a little tribute to foldforming. First, the piece. This is a pair of copper foldform hoop earrings. They are big and bold; about 1 5/8" across. Last summer I was very fortunate to learn foldforming from its inventor Charles Lewton-Brain, educator and world-renowned master goldsmith. Charles is truly a wonderful and inspiring man... I would describe him as part MacGyver, part Mythbusters, and part Leonardo da Vinci. So what is foldforming? Here is a quote from brainpress.com: Fold forming is a new system of metal forming developed between 1980 and the present which is the concrete result of a conceptual approach to metalsmithing that emphasizes forming using the metals characteristics. The British Museum Research Lab and the Rolex Awards for Enterprise, among others have certified that Fold-forming is new, and has not been done before in the history of metal working.The technique was invented in the 1980's by Charles Lewton-Brain. People have been working metal for thousands of years. Think what it means to have recently invented something new to metal working! Charles received the 2012 Saidye Bronfman Award in February 2012 at the Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts. The award is Canada's highest honor for the arts. They made a great video showing his work and passion. It also shows the exact technique I used to create today's earrings. If you are a metalsmith (jewelry or otherwise) and would like to be part of a diverse group centered around foldforming, please join us at the official foldforming facebook page at www.facebook.com/foldforming. It was established at Charles' request and he does visit occasionally. There, you can post photos of your work and practice, post your advice and questions... all skill levels welcome. I'm the admin of the site and hope to see you there.
6 Comments
Amy Belilove
3/24/2012 09:52:28 am
Pretty, Pretty. Sue are they heavy? They look quite substantial.
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3/24/2012 10:49:05 am
Those are cool! I've done a couple of bracelets in this style and have been pondering earrings. I'll probably put the hole for the wire close to one end though. And maybe use some enamel. Or not. Foldforming is so much fun.
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vickie sullivan
3/27/2012 10:08:19 am
Even two dimes and a nickel can be heavy if worn for an extended period of time. What a nice addition to the necklace and cuff it would be ... show stopper actually.
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Sue Lacy WiredThis began as a hobbyist's blog. Over time it became a quest to support & connect metalsmiths around the globe who use foldforming techniques in their work. See how it all turned out: www.foldforming.org Archives
July 2016
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