Followers of The Jewelry Report on Facebook might have heard that I have been doing a metalsmithing course at a local college.  As Lexi Erickson warned me would happen, I have indeed become totally hooked on the techniques and have gained a brand new appreciation of the fine work carried out by jewelers such as Lexi and today´s interview subject, Andrew Cooperman.  Using a huge range of jewelry making techniques and a high level of skill and creativity his designs are complex, with bold shapes and details to draw the eye in.  Here are his responses to our Jewelry Report interview.  (We love his chosen superpower!)

What are your favorite materials to work with?

That’s a bit of a difficult question for me right now.  I’m looking around for fresh materials these days, maybe non-metallic materials.  Materials that are ringing my bells right now are carvable or formable and possess a vital quality, perhaps translucency or lightness.  I’ve been working with Copal, polycarbonate sheet, wood.  Whatever material I become interested in must pass muster: Each one is vetted against my own standard of stability, durability and suitability for its intended use. I love the idea of a paper belt buckle, but I would have to find a way to reconcile paper’s  innate qualities of fragility and impermanence with the real world demands of a belt buckle.

What is your favorite design, and is this your best seller?

I don’t really classify myself as a designer and I really don’t produce catalogue-type jewellery or objects, so this question doesn’t apply all that  well.  Let me say this: the Skin Ring is a band style of ring that I make which evolved from the layering of surfaces that played a key role in the one-of-a-kind exhibition oriented brooches and neckpieces that I was making in the early ‘90’s. It began with one ring.  I have made many, many Skin Rings over the years and, as a matter of fact, was commissioned to make one just last week.  There is something about these rings that really resonates with people and each one is a different experience for me to make.

How did you first get into jewelry art in general?
I've always been drawn to the intimate scale of jewelry and small objects.  I found jewelry as a college  student in the Art building,  walking past the Jewelry and Metals classroom on my way to Painting.

Can you tell us more about the themes that run through your jewelry?
Entropy: the tendency of things to age, decay and eventually fail. Wabi-Sabi: The idea that there is value and beauty in flaws and imperfection.  But, perhaps most important, I see my work as an invitation for people to look more closely at and give credence to the smaller things that surround us.

What do you have planned for future collections?
I am thinking of an exhibition right now, in which small, esoteric facts-- the Did You Knows-- serve as departure points for jewellery and small sculptural objects.

Find out more about Andrew Cooperman Jewelry at his website, http://www.andycooperman.com/