Terry demonstrated how to make a ring from start to finish in the gallery last night. Terry used sterling silver and a cut piece of red dinosaur bone from Utah to make the intricate piece of jewelry.
“I’m going to have a piece of stone I cut this morning while my wife was in the shower,” Terry said. “I cut four pieces of dinosaur bone and one piece of citron — it was a long shower.”
About 10 Bloomington community members, ranging from pleased customers of Terry’s work to fellow artists, gathered to watch him flux and hammer to create a custom piece of jewelry on a portable workshop table in the gallery.
The tenant living above the gallery practiced his saxophone throughout the demonstration, which lent a jazzy tone to the intimate gathering.
Gabriel Colman, owner and curator of the Venue, said he has known of Terry’s work his whole life. Organizing the event was not nearly as complicated as it seemed, Colman said.
“We’re going to be featuring Tim starting this Friday,” Colman said. “We love artist demonstrations, and he was really pleased with the idea. Although he’s brought a lot of materials in, it was easy set-up and easy take-down.”
Colman said he enjoys how Terry makes what could be perceived as a heavier looking material look lighter.
“His work, for being metal, is incredibly organic,” Colman said. “When you look at the forms that he creates, they’re very elegant and flowing in execution.”
Terry limited his narration during the demonstration, interspersing explanation and advice for anyone interested in jewelry making throughout the event. He began by setting up the bezel, the part that wraps around the stone.
“I’m going to solder it together with a piece of high-temperature silver solder,” Terry said as he worked. “All I do is take the bezel, and I have to fit the ends together. If you look at a jewelry book, they’ll tell you this elaborate thing of taking all these needles and pins and setting this like that. It would take so long to do that.”
From the bezel, he moved on to the band of the ring. Terry used a jewelry saw and hammers, as well as some smaller precision implements to assemble the ring. At one point, the string of the saw broke. He replaced it easily from a collection in his drawer.
Before the engraving stage, Terry put his sign on the inside of the ring: one stamp reading “sterling” and a personal mark, “TK.” Terry said the initials stand for his first name and middle name, Kevin, combined into a nickname by his father.
Terry said his favorite part of the process is the addition of the finer details on the band and bezel of the ring, though not many people see the work on the band because it is hidden when worn.
“This is totally off the cuff,” Terry said as he designed. He combined arcs and lines to create the pattern that spread to the fanned edges where the bezel would sit.
Colman said this was his first time seeing Terry perform this sort of demonstration, and he took away a greater appreciation of what jewelry making entails on a craft level.
“Just the effect that a person can have on a piece of metal, just with their bare hands and a hammer, is really and truly amazing,” Colman said. “Especially when you look at some of the finer forms that he’s able to execute.”
