Portland Jewelry Symposium Focuses On 3D Printing And Other Technologies

Peter Smith delivering the keynote at the Portland Jewelry Symposium. Photo by Lena Knofler

The Portland Jewelry Symposium celebrated its 10th anniversary but there was no time to wax nostalgic at the most recent gathering. Instead it was time to focus on the future of the industry. This future consists of the use of technology in general and more specifically the continued growth of 3D printing technology.

“It just seemed like so much evolution was going on with technology we should focus on the future so everybody can sit here for a day-and-a-half and think about the next 10, 15 years for their businesses,” said Teresa Frye, who founded the symposium.

Teresa Frye, founder of the Portland Jewelry Symposium. Photo by Lena Knofler 

Frye, owner and president of TechForm Advanced Casting Technology, a platinum manufacturer, said her business is 95% digital. She is dependent on designers who create the pieces that she manufactures. Because of this she said she is most interested in how designers will adapt to new ways of creating jewelry without losing the human aspect of the artistry and design.

“It’s so easy to look at the robots and say that has nothing to do with my craft, it’s so cold and sterile. Yet we can’t avoid it,” she said. “It’s crucial to our survival that we pick the elements of technology that are going to help us to not just survive but to stay at the top of our game and I think that’s the challenge for the industry because we really are so traditional.”

One of several 3D printers on display. Photo by Lena Knofler

She says there is no one answer, designers, manufacturers and retailers will have to adapt various elements of technology in ways that will enhance their businesses.

“Our customers value the handcrafted nature of what we do, yet we’re going to have to give up some of that. All the top brands know that they have to select the elements of technology that are going to help them to remain competitive yet they can’t lose their soul in the process. And I still don’t know the answer because it really lies with the designers as far as the aesthetics of what we’re creating and how to not lose that in the process.”

This year’s symposium, with the theme “Future Think: Innovate, Create, Thrive,” was held October 1 and 2 at the Sentinel Hotel in downtown Portland, Ore. Approximately 150 independent retailers, manufacturers, designers and others in the jewelry trade attended this year. The attendance was a new record for the symposium. In addition, it has grown from a regional gathering in the northwest United States to a national event. Frye said one of her challenges is to manage this growth while maintaining its intimate, informal and friendly atmosphere.

3D Printer models. Photo by Lena Knofler

3D printing was the hot topic this year and they were the top item on display among the vendors at the event. The technology is being used regularly to produce jewelry molds that are used for casting. Costs of the machines have dropped significantly over the years and they are smaller and easier to use. Their easy entry point has opened up jewelry design to a broader group of people. For example, retailers can now create custom designs for their customers with greater efficiency and speed.

The vast majority of 3D printing is being used to create resin models for casting. However, the newest generation of 3D printers can now print jewelry using precious metals. As one vendor told me the process hasn’t been perfected yet and isn’t a viable replacement for current uses.

But it doesn’t take an expert to know that the technology will get better. Frye, who is well adept with technology and how it is used in manufacturing environments, sees this as well. She says it brings questions on how it may change jewelry design.

“I’m thinking about this next evolution of 3D printing,” Frye said. “Is jewelry going to start looking all the same because we’re letting the technology dictate the designs? That’s the challenge for the industry and I fully expect there will be many designers who are going to overcome that challenge but there may be inherent limitations with the technology. There is probably going to be a multitude of solutions and what we’re trying to do here is to get that conversation going. We have the technology experts here talking about what’s out there and then we have the networking with real world jewelers who will challenge them. That’s when you have the really interesting conversations.”

Kevin Abernathy discussing manufacturing technology. Photo by Lena Knofler

Kevin Abernathy of BIS Ventures, in his presentation on trends in digital manufacturing, said that 3D metal printing is the next big thing and that artificial intelligence, robotics, cloud computing and other technologies are becoming commonplace in the world’s largest companies and will soon be commonplace in the jewelry industry.

Abernathy, whose company consults with jewelry manufacturers on their automated and digital technology, said he was an early adapter of 3D printing and computer numerical control (computer automation of machine tools). Because of these technologies, he said “vendors can help you navigate the minutiae of the design in your mind.”

Bench demonstrations. Photo by Lena Knofler

Abernathy assured those in the audience that although these technologies will continue to grow, there is no need to be fearful of losing your job.

“At the end of the day it takes a human, an artist putting that love into a piece of jewelry,” he said. “No machine will ever replace that and no robot will ever do it.”

The keynote address for the symposium was delivered by Peter Smith, jewelry industry consultant and author, who discussed the future of traditional jewelry retail, which he says, is actually brighter than it is being portrayed.

“This fear that somehow we’re losing business to online is just not based in reality,” he told the audience.

Kristi Broussard of Stuller demonstrates a detector for lab-grown diamonds. Photo by Lena Knofler

Instead, he argues what is happening is a transformation of the retail business combining the bricks-and-mortar experience with the convenience of eCommerce. He stresses that it’s retail stores that will continue to drive the business.

In most cases, he says, retailers who are losing customers are doing so because they are not providing a high-quality store experience. He said the landscape of the retail industry can be broken down to convenience and price sensitive stores, such as Costco and Wal-Mart; and stores that focus on experience, such as Apple, Starbucks and Tiffany & Co.

Jewelry retailers cannot compete with price so they have to create stores that provide a better experience for their customers. It includes reevaluating everything about the store, from the lighting to the music to the scent (which can be purchased) in a way that creates a story about the retail experience they want to deliver.

Chris Ploof of Laminated Metals describing his products. Photo by Lena Knofler

Smith also encouraged retailers to streamline their product offerings and focus on what sells and to build eCommerce websites in order to create a well-rounded retail experience.

Sherris Cottier Shank, an award-winning gem artist and master gem carver, had a bit of warning for those jumping into technology head first. She challenged retailers and others in the jewelry industry to think “beyond mainstream” when specifying jewelry.

“All of this automation is really great but remember there are other people out there beyond mainstream,” she said. “Take the time to talk to them and find out what they like.”

Shank, calls herself an “odd duck” in the jewelry industry because what she likes in gemstone jewelry is rarely displayed in stores.

“If I were to walk in most jewelry stores today I would turn around and leave. Most jewelry stores would have nothing that interests me,” she said. “There are others like me and I know this because they contact me out of the blue.”

She began her career as a bench jeweler but discovered that she loved the art of gemstone carving. A self-described “girl who plays around in the dirt,” she sometimes goes to the mines to select her gems. She said dealers have mixed reactions when selling to her.

“I’m very careful when I select rough and the sellers either love me or hate me. They usually give me a pad and let me select my own (stones),” she said.

Shank, known for her signature carvings, has received numerous awards. Several of her pieces are on display in museums, including National Gem & Mineral Collections of the Smithsonian and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. She also works with exceptional jewelry artists who mount her gems into jewels.

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Last Chance To Register For The Portland Jewelry Symposium

The 2016 Portland Jewelry Symposium, networking prior to the keynote presentation

The Portland Jewelry Symposium is celebrating its 10th Anniversary and it isn’t looking back on its success. Instead, the forum’s theme this year is “Future Think: Innovate, Create, Thrive.” 

Teresa Frye, founder of the Portland Jewelry Symposium and owner and president of TechForm Advanced Casting Technology, has created the theme and planned the two-day program to discuss new technologies and artistic trends, and how to stay current in a rapidly changing industry. 

The symposium will be held October 1 and 2 at the Sentinel Hotel in downtown Portland, Ore. It is designed to benefit custom jewelers, designers and retailers. The registration deadline is here so please follow this link to register. 

Presentations will include the following: 

Peggy Jo Donahue, who assembled a panel discussion on “Promoting Custom Design on Social Networks,” which includes award winning designers Calla Gold and Lisa Krikawa.

Jennifer Caban from Olympus IMS will discuss using “XRF Technology to Identify Precious Metals” at the bench and in the retail environment.

Kevin Abernathy will speak about evolving “Trends in Digital Manufacturing.”

The symposium continues to take on social and environmental responsibility. This year, Monica Stephenson of ANZA Gems will speak on “Taking the First Step to a Responsible Future.”

This year symposium also includes a session on “Succession Planning and Exit Strategies” by Becka Johnson Kibby from The Edge Retail Academy.

Symposium registration includes the Keynote address and networking dinners. Lunch and refreshments during the full-day session on October 2. Additional tickets for dinner guests are also available for purchase.

To register, please visit the Portland Jewelry Symposium website.

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The Portland Jewelry Symposium Celebrates 10th Anniversary With Future-Focused Program

Peter Smith, CEO of Vibhor, will give the keynote address

The Portland Jewelry Symposium will celebrate its 10th Anniversary with the theme “Future Think: Innovate, Create, & Thrive.” 

The annual event, being held on October 1st and 2nd in Portland, Ore., will kick off with a Sunday night keynote dinner and address by jewelry industry veteran, Peter Smith, CEO of Vibhor and a columnist for National Jeweler, The Jewelry Book, and the World Diamond Magazine. He will share thoughts from his acclaimed 2016 article in National Jeweler, “What Will Become of Retail Jewelry Stores?”

“Given the rapid evolution we are experiencing in both retail business models and manufacturing technologies, it is very timely for the Symposium to take a deep dive into the innovative business models of tomorrow” says PJS Founder, Teresa Frye, owner of TechForm, which specializes in high-temperature platinum casting. “Beginning with our keynote Aadress and continuing across all presentations and bench demonstrations, we endeavor to create a sense of the visionary at this year’s event.”

Rounding out the "Future Think" program will be talks by digital manufacturing expert, Kevin Abernathy of BisVentures; Peggy Jo Donahue will moderate a tech-savvy panel featuring custom jewelers Calla Gold, Wendy Brandes, and Lisa Krikawa; retail business specialist, Becka Johnson Kibby of Edge Retail; responsible sourcing authority, Monica Stephenson of idazzle and Anza Gems; and specialist in XRF analytics technology, Jennifer Caban of Olympus.

Other presentations feature goldsmith and inventor Phil Poirier of Bonny Doon Engineering, designer Annie Koenig of Annie K & Motorhead Jewelry, gemstone carver Sherris Cottier Shank of Gemscapes, and bench expert Kristi Broussard of Stuller. A full line-up of the sessions and schedule can be found on the PJS website. 

Sponsors for the event include TechForm Advanced Casting Technology, Stuller, Platinum Guild International, Solidscape, Rio Grande, MJSA, Johnson Matthey, Otto Frei, Instore Magazine, Metalsmith Magazine, United Precious Metals Refining, Envisiontec, Hoover and Strong, Cad Blu, Red Sky Plating, A3DM Technologies, and the Santa Fe Symposium. 

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Portland Jewelry Symposium: A Forum For Innovation In The Jewelry Industry

Jim Tuttle of Green Lake Jewelry Works, Jennifer Dawes of Jennifer Dawes Design and Travis Isaacson of Lashbrook, spoke about their personal experiences with selling custom jewelry. Photo by Anthony DeMarco

Jewelry professionals who attended the ninth annual Portland Jewelry Symposium received a great deal of information on the technology, craft and artistry of jewelry making. They discovered ways to improve their business and their digital media results; and they learned about the responsibility associated with the making and selling of jewelry. 

The event held Sunday and Monday in Portland, Ore., was attended by 125 jewelry professionals (primarily independent business owners) from 12 western states and Canada, including designers, manufacturers, metalsmiths and retailers. Its focus this year was responsible sourcing (as I have written about previously: link and link) but in the eight sessions on Monday presenters exchanged ideas on a number of topics ranging from the highly technical to the wildly creative. 

The more technical presentations included Jim Binnion, an expert on metalsmithing and goldsmithing techniques who discussed his process for developing a new method for preparing 3D acrylic photopolymer patterns for investment casting, a complicated but important topic with the recent proliferation of 3D printers in the jewelry industry.

Teresa Frye, founder of the Portland Jewelry Symposium, provides an overview of what jewelers should known about precious metals metallurgy. Photo by Anthony DeMarco

Teresa Frye, founder of the Portland Jewelry Symposium and owner and president of TechForm Advanced Casting Technology in Portland, presented a technical overview of what jewelers should known about precious metals metallurgy. This includes discussions on porosity, microstructure, mechanical strength, and the effects of alloying elements.

Frye said she started the symposium nine years ago to fill a need in the northwest United States primarily for independent jewelry retailers, designers and manufacturers. The event has steadily grown over the years. Frye said the symposium prides itself on being a non-commercial venue for jewelry professionals.

Jewelry designer Chris Ploof describes the creative process during his presentation on Mokume Gane. Photo by Anthony DeMarco

It was modeled after the Santa Fe Symposium, founded more than 30 years ago by Eddie Bell, director of technology for Rio Grande, Inc., perhaps the largest jewelry industry supplier of tools, equipment and know-how in the U.S. Frye has participated in the event as a presenter and attendee for many years. 

The Santa Fe Symposium is international, attracts some of the largest jewelry companies and is the closest thing to a scientific process in the jewelry industry. Large manufacturing representatives present highly technical white papers on new findings in jewelry making production. The non-commercial networking aspect among these professionals is cited as one of the key reasons for its success. 

Frye says the Portland symposium is a bit different in that it is geared toward smaller companies and is bit broader in terms of presenting highly technical white papers with artistic and business presentations. It received the blessing of Eddie Bell and Rio Grande is one of its major sponsors, providing bench jewelry demonstrations.

Frye expressed confidence that the Portland symposium will continue to grow. 

“There’s a national need for this type of non-commercial event in the type of setting with a more intimate environment than a tradeshow.”

Several attendees said the non-commercial networking environment is one of the best parts of the annual gathering. 

“You don’t feel like you’re in an environment where you’re being sold. You are able to relax a little and enjoy the people who are here,” said Jennifer Shaline a bench jeweler at Beaudet Jewelry, Eugene, Ore. The self-claimed “too junkie” was also at the show headhunting for full-time employees. This is her second time at the event. 

Networking had a direct impact on jewelry designer Ali Peret of Troutdale, Ore. He was specifically looking to find information on 3D jewelry design. The schedule didn’t have this topic this year but during networking he met a 3D jewelry design instructor from the Gemological Institute of America. 

“This is exactly why I come,” said Peret, who has attended the symposium a few times in the past.

Andrea Hill describes how to adapt Lean Manufacturing to small jewelry operations. Photo by Anthony DeMarco

Andrea Hill of Hill Management Group, a consultancy for the jewelry industry, presented a tutorial on Lean Manufacturing, a systematic method for the elimination of waste within a manufacturing system. This system was developed in Japan and is flexible enough to use for a variety of manufacturing processes, including those in the jewelry industry.

“It’s a system that trains an organization to look at itself from the outside in and to make all improvements accordingly,” Hill told the jewelers. “It provides value through the eyes of the customer by designing your business and processes around your customer.”

She added, “This core concept of lean is very accessible to the small business and if you’ll embrace you’ll see benefits in your business.”

Hill has been a longtime presenter and attendee of both The Portland and Santa Fe Symposiums. 

“Teresa (Frye) does a really good job,” Hill said after her presentation. “She packs a lot of content into a day.” 

She adds that’s there is no other place in the northwest United States where such a diverse group of jewelry professionals can get together in such a supportive environment. 

Chris Ploof explains the true worth of what someone buys from a designer. Photo by Anthony DeMarco

Jewelry designer Chris Ploof of Leominster Mass., gave a presentation on the history of the Japanese art of Mokume Gane and described techniques to produce the distinctive design in a modern jewelry workshop. 

It was one of the more entertaining and informative presentations on such a difficult topic. It included a chart on the artist process that read: “Work begins; F#*k off; panic; All the work while crying; Deadline”

Mokume Gane is a technique that produces a wood-like grain in metal. It’s done by fusing several layers of different colored precious metals together then manipulating it in a way that a pattern resembling wood grain emerges over the surface. There are several techniques are used to produce a variety of effects.

Three jewelry designers (Jim Tuttle of Green Lake Jewelry Works, Jennifer Dawes of Jennifer Dawes Design and Travis Isaacson of Lashbrook), spoke about their personal experiences with selling custom jewelry.

Lake Giles of Thinkspace Jeweler of Portland, which creates cloud-driven website management systems and internet marketing services for jewelers, told attendees how they can successfully manage their own website Search Engine Optimization (SEO) without hiring consultants. 

“There are better ways to advertising digitally,” he said. “Google ad words, Pandora radio, Facebook, email marketing lists. They all have their pros and cons. SEO is frequently less attractive than these other channels.

He also encouraged jewelers to use social media (perhaps the only industry on earth that needs such encouragement). 

“At least create those accounts, claim those business names on social media sites shows your biz is alive,” he said. 

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Bennett Freeman Discusses The Importance And Challenges Of Responsible Sourcing At Portland Jewelry Symposium

Bennett Freeman giving the keynote speech for the Portland Jewelry Symposium at the Portland Art Museum. Photo by Anthony DeMarco

One of the world’s most prominent experts on responsible sourcing told an audience of jewelry professionals that the jewelry and gem industry needs a more comprehensive approach to ensure their products are produced in a humane and environmentally friendly manner.

“You need to come up with a new narrative based around responsible sourcing along the pipeline to crystallize the commitment to align and put together American and North American based players (whether) larger, smaller indifferent,” Bennett Freeman said during a keynote speech Sunday at the ninth annual Portland Jewelry Symposium. “Make a pledge to product process integrity that respects labor rights and human rights, that upholds environmental sustainability, and pledges to be credible, to be effective, to be operational and would probably have to be tied to a competent certification standard that would be transparent and accessible to customers."

Freeman has a long history working with multinational companies, responsible investors, NGOs, governments and international institutions in a number of industries to promote corporate responsibility, sustainability and human rights around the world. He works primarily with larger corporations and organizations but he assured the approximate 125 smaller independent designers, artists, jewelry manufacturers and retailers in attendance at the event in Portland, Ore., that they can also participate in the process.

And there’s no time like the present as corporations have been facing pressure like never before in regard to a number of human rights and sustainability issues by an activist community empowered by the speed and efficiency of delivering messages through digital media, he said.

“These pressures, this kind of scrutiny, is not going to go away,” he said. “The 21st Century is, if nothing else, is the century of sustainability, the century of accountability, the century of transparency. Every company, every industry is going to face ever rising pressures and expectations to be straightforward about how is does its business about the character and quality of its content, of its products throughout the entire supply chain.” 

Teresa Frye, founder of the Portland Jewelry Symposium. Photo by Anthony DeMarco

The two-day Portland Jewelry Symposium is designed to discuss new technologies and artistic trends. In this spirit, Teresa Frye, who founded the symposium, says the responsible sourcing of materials for jewelry making is one of the most important current topics for the industry. This year, she said she placed an emphasis on this topic. In addition, to Freeman’s keynote, two of the eight presentations during the all-day work session held Monday dealt with responsible sourcing.

“I slowly became inspired on the subject and feel that it is the next big thing,” said Frye, who also is owner of TechForm, a Portland, Ore.-based company that specializes in the casting of platinum group metals for the jewelry industry. “The handwriting is on the wall. The Portland Jewelry Symposium is about looking ahead. This touches design, manufacturing and business trends. I think it’s the big one”

The gathering of jewelry professionals at the Portland Art Museum prior to Bennett Freeman's keynote speech. Photo by Anthony DeMarco

Freeman says he recognizes the difficulties of bringing such a diverse and fragmented industry of stakeholders throughout the world together and the difficulties of an industry largely made of small family owned firms having the resources to do this. However, it is something he says has to be done before the industry is swept by the tide of public opinion.

“The time has come for this industry to find greater points of alignment to make a fundamental commitment to integrity as well as to quality,” he said. “This is not easy but there are building blocks within this industry and models from other industries and my sense as an outsider who has had a peek inside is that there is some growing momentum in this direction.”

He mentioned luxury jeweler, Tiffany & Co., Signet Jewelers, the world’s largest specialty jewelry retailer, and jewelry manufacturer, Richline Group, among the three largest players in the U.S. industry, as being on the right track. He is less enthused about the progress of the Kimberley Process, a joint governments, industry and civil society initiative to stem the flow of conflict diamonds; and Responsible Jewelry Council, which sets standards and provides certificates for businesses throughout the jewelry industry supply chain (from mine to market). But he does describe these initiatives as headed in the right direction.

“My point is that in other industries there are initiatives, there are standards, there are progress being made. Imperfect but nevertheless progress. In this industry, jewelry, and the parts of the mining industry related to jewelry there’s been similar standards and initiatives. The Kimberley Process on rough cut diamonds, as imperfect as it’s been, at least it’s been an attempt,” he said. “The Responsible Jewelry Council with its third party certification standard, while limited in scope, is an important start…. and there are other initiatives underway that touch and directly affect the jewelry industry.”

He added, “The fact is that for a dozen or 15 years now, this industry has been moving in an overall net positive direction.”

Freeman says he is optimistic that the progress will continue and those in the industry will learn how to tackle these issues. 

“I think the industry has become a little less reactive and more proactive in its dealing with issues not just episodically but a little more systematically looking at the fundamentals of these challenges,” he said. “Looking not just to end product content but supply chain process and while these are positive trends they are not irreversible shifts. I’m sure many of you who have tried to push the industry in this direction, it’s just one step forward and a half-step back. But in my experience in working with these kind of issues across industries, progress is rarely linear as we would like and rarely as rapid as we would hope. But the point is that there’s stakes that have been put in the ground by this industry and admittedly often in reaction to NGO campaigns and negative media scrutiny and your anxieties about your customers perceptions, by regulators and government: but nevertheless progress.” 

He added: “I think we are moving toward a real opportunity for the industry. A more comprehensive more realistic approach (to these issues). At stake I think in many ways is the future of the industry. Relationships with customers, the trust that customers have in the integrity of your products and the processes that make them confident that people aren't being abused along the way. That the objects of such beauty are made in ways that also respect human dignity. That’s the vision and I think it is one that I know that many of you in this room are very dedicated to but there are very substantial challenges moving forward.” 

The two-day Portland Jewelry Symposium attracted approximately 125 jewelry professionals including retailers, designers and manufacturers. This is the first of three stories about the event. 

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