EXPERTISE

Musings About the term [Artisan]

Most of us believe that we "know" what the term "Artisan " means... and perhaps, we do.   At least, we are not usually at a loss for words to describe the concept to someone else!   Personally, I believe this is okay, except where it relates to items that are available for sale... and, with good reason.   Originally, the term "Artisan" literally meant someone who was an apprentice to a Journeyman laborer.... particularly during the Renaissance period, which truly institutionalized the Guild system.   Over a period of time, as with most terms that are not explicitly linked to a specific event(s) or meaning(s), the term came to be somewhat parallel with what the Guilds knew and understood to be a "Master".   Quite a leap!   But, back then, there was a far greater disparity in the economic difference between a "Master" and an "Artisan", and obviously, a Master could afford to be just that, a Master, at his craft.   (And, by the by, I am not aware of any "hers" that were called "Masters" back then either!)   An Artisan, on the other hand, could not afford to devote his entire life to continue developing his craft, hence the need to be an apprentice to learn the craft while supporting himself otherwise.   As a matter of fact, it was considered a privilege to be a "Master" at anything... the term usually implied someone whom had reached a certain economic "zenith" in one's life, and with that, a good degree of what we call leisure time, or quality time.   And... if your memory serves you well, what you learned about that period of time in history is that very few people were in a position to have any of THAT!   So, very few people got to be a "Master", unless of course, the fell into favor with a very wealthy ,powerful individual who basically "financed" their craft and its' furtherance.  

Over time, the term  "Artisan" has evolved to mean very different things, and most of those definitions have become nebulous.   In its'  truest and most pure form, Working Girl Gems believes that the term "Artisan" implies, at the very least, that the artist has conceived, drafted, handcrafted and handworked the product from the very beginning, or inception, of the concept, and saw the personal construction and assembly of the concept through to it's completion, or final stage.   This, if nothing else, implies that the designer of any product or idea, understands and knows their creations from beginning to end, and, more importantly, knows and understands the assembly and manner of production of those creations.   In short, no one else is as knowledgeable of these creations, as the creator of them him- or herself, or the "Artisan"!   As to the beauty of the item, well... as we are all acquaintenced with the concept, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder".

Allow me to assure you that the term "Artisan " as Working Girl Gems applies it, is meant wholly as a designation of the ajudged level of quality and workmanship of the jewelry available for purchase and viewing on our site.   "Artisan" as it is applied here, is determined by three (3) basic constraints of the designer of Working Girl Gems products:

1)   that the quality of the individual components to be of the highest level achievable, given the purchase price of the finished product, and that when specific terms have been used, such as "Silver, Sterling, Gold, Aquamarine, etc." that these terms are used in their purest sense, i.e., that the item described IS truly that and that the term is not used to mean another attribute such as color (as in "aquamarine" blue in color, or "silver-colored" base metal, etc.) unless that is explicity stated;

2)   that the individual components used by Working Girl Gems all work together not only aesthetically, but also materially, so as to produce a product that will endure for a reasonably lasting period of time ~ this is important as jewelry "moves" with the wearer of it... for a jewelry designer to not take note of this fact is to completely ignore the fact that jewelry possesses a certain practical characteristic to it as well as an aesthetic one...such as when materials rub one another while being worn;

3)   that Working Girl Gems is the sole designer of all its' jewelry creations and as such, has individually chosen components, conceived the designs and handcrafted each and every jewelry creation, and that where other Artists products have been incorporated, such as with custom bails, or lampwork beads, the designer's name has been credited... in short, Working Girl Gems has seen the creations of its' jewelry creations from inception  to completion, and made them available for purchase when the individual product is fully completed;

And, one final note, Working Girl Gems believes that its' jewelry creations to be of Artisan quality, workmanship and beauty, and that when you, the customer, purchase from us, that you are also of the same beliefs... as such, we accept your complement and thank you for your patronage ~ you may be assured that we will do whatever we can to continue deserving and earning that  trust and honor.

Yours, 

Working Girl Gems

TheSilverXchange Silver Bars - Silver prices, Silver bars, silver rounds, silver coins...