Jewelry created by Beth.
By Natalie Keller
I was in the The Gallery at el Pedregal the other day and I saw a fellow artist very engrossed in designing a piece of jewelry. It looked interesting and I soon realized I didn’t know what she was doing…I wondered what the process was from start to finish for her to design and create a piece of jewelry? My curiosity was peaked and I wanted to learn more! I asked a few questions and Beth was very happy to explain the entire process to me.
My fellow artist’s name is Beth Benowich and her brand name is “Jewelry by BB Designs.” I didn’t know Beth well and I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to talk with her. She invites you to learn and engage by her relaxed manner and love of teaching. Beth told me she had been born in the Bronx in New York and she has been a designer and creator of jewelry for ten years. Before being a jeweler she owned and operated a children’s summer camp until she sold it. (That tidbit solidified my mental picture of her having a very outgoing personality.)
Jewelry created by Beth.
Beth discovered she had too many discretionary hours after the sale of the camp so she took a fabrication and lost wax casting class at the Community College on jewelry making. David Butler was her first teacher and she loved the class. She stated with a warm smile, “ I never looked back!” Beth found her niche! She used the classroom as her studio and began to create a variety of pieces.
Expanding and experimenting on what she learned, Beth became successful at creating beautiful pieces of jewelry. She said, “It came easy for me and now I even dream in wax!” She also took more classes from Fred deVoss Studio in SoHo, New York. He taught her more advanced techniques and since then she has added to her experience with learning to make jewelry with old world style methods using 24k/22k gold, stone setting, and much more. Beth started to have successful exhibitions and her reputation as an artist began to flourish!
Beth at work designing a piece.
Beth said she creates a piece in her mind and then will make a drawing before she proceeds to the actual making of the piece. Most of her jewelry is created first in wax. She related that the miracle of wax is that you can fuse anything together! She demonstrated how she can take thin pieces of wax wire (there are all different sizes /gauges) and creates a design on top of another sheet of wax. (The sheets can also be any thickness or size.) She then attaches what she calls the sprues on it and that gets attached to a button of wax in the center of a rubber base. Once the design is attached to the base a metal flask (tube) securely fits into the rubber base. A plaster of paris mixture (called investment) is poured into the flask to totally cover the wax designs. That mixture (investment) gets put into a vacuum twice to pull out the air, which would create “bubbles” on the surface of the metal if not removed. The mixture dries quickly.
This photo of three bracelets shows, from left to right, the bracelet’s wax design, the finished bracelet, and the plaster of Paris mold used to create the bracelet.
Once totally hardened the rubber base is removed leaving the wax button on the bottom of the flask. The flask is put into an oven and the wax melts out and the casting is ready for the metal to be added. The metal is put into a crucible (which is part of the centrifuge) and heated until it is molten (liquid). The flask is removed from the kiln and placed into the centrifuge. Then the crucible and the flask get butted together. When the centrifuge spins the metal gets forced from the crucible into the flask…which is called centrifugal force. There is a hole in one end of the crucible, and that button of wax left at the end of the flask that melted created a sort of funnel or entryway for the metal to flow into the negative space inside the flask where the wax design had been. The sprues (18g wire) are important part of this process. Once the metal gets forced into the funnel (wax button) the sprues create a channel by which the metal flows to fill the entire void that the wax design created.
After the centrifuge is finished spinning and the flask isn’t glowing anymore, the flask gets submerged into cool water. The plaster of paris mixture (called Investment) falls away and you end up with a metal piece of jewelry with the sprues and button still attached.
Electra Wax Machine
Beth had an “Electra waxer” machine that has a pencil like appendage that she used to apply dots of wax to the design. These wax dots link or fuse all of the wax pieces together to create the design and helps add the sprues to the base. Beth said she could shape the wax into all different designs using all the different size and shape wires and sheets of wax that are available. She demonstrated how she could take a broken beaded bracelet and use the top piece that is left. She designed a wax channel to seat the old beaded part to become a completely new silver cuff bracelet. She made it look easy but I know she’s just skilled at what she does.
When I asked her about pricing I learned that the price depends on the type and weight of the metal used. She can also estimate cost from how many grams of wax are used. She uses Silver, Gold, Bronze and Palladium, which is in the platinum family. She mixes the Palladium with Silver which then has a beautiful white appearance and does not tarnish. She may add gemstones, diamonds, turquoise or anything that the client desires to the design.
She showed me a variety of jewelry photos that she had custom made for clients and they were all very unique. She likes to add texture and designs that are unusual but add to the beauty of the piece.
Beth
Beth has been married to her childhood sweetheart for 38 years and has two daughters. She and her husband left New York and moved to Arizona 4 years ago.
Beth exhibits at the Mesa Art Center Artist’s Co-op, Hidden in the Hills, The Thunderbird Expo, Phoenix Center for the Arts, and The Gallery at El Pedregal. She creates necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings and belt buckles and she is available for commissions.
Beth can be contacted at: Beth Benowich: Jewelry by BBDesigns, 914-391-3498, Beth@Jewelrybybbdesigns.com, www.jewelrybybbdesigns.com. Visit Website
Finished Bracelet
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