Criticalsmiths
Criticalsmiths is a research series developed by the Community for Ethical Jewelry, in collaboration with Wellness for Makers. Students are asked to conduct research projects where they discover ways their studio work habits connect to environmental and personal safety issues, with the intention of learning and sharing best practices.
Students Will
RESEARCH relevant issues regarding the field of Jewelry and Metalsmithing, with attention the health, safety and environmental impact.
SHARE research results with schools and students around the world.
INSPIRE students to think critically about their studio practice.
Want to start a Criticalsmiths research project at your school?
How It Works
With our support, educators will lead their students through a research project for a set duration of time, designed to work within the institution’s parameters. The group will move through the following stages throughout the project.
Decide a Topic: What is the leading question you want to answer?
Create a Plan: Create a timeline, set goals, and determine roles for all participating students.
Begin Research: Use a variety of methods to answer their leading question not limited to interviewing experts, reviewing articles, conducting experiments, designing surveys.
Document: Throughout the research series, data will be collected. The research group will be asked to submit images of work being done.
Share: Once all relevant data has been collected the Community for Ethical Jewelry will provide a platform to host and share the research findings.
Possible research topics
Dust masks: What is the proper mask to use for various processes. What do the ratings mean and why do they matter?
Pickle: What is it? What are our options, and what are the best options for useability as well as recycling (extracting copper) and disposal.
Pitch: What’s in it? What is harmful about it? What are the most appropriate ways to work with it?
Patinas: What chemicals are used, how do they affect the environment or human health? What are the proper ways to dispose?
Etching: What are the various options, proper procedures, and how to dispose? What do hazardous waste facilities do with it?
Enameling: What safety gear is necessary, what will the various materials do to the body if inhaled?
Resins: What are risks for working with these materials. What safety precautions should be used?
View Criticalsmiths Installments
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What's the Dill with Jewelry Pickle?
This page compiles the findings of an integrative research project regarding different pickle solutions. The research question: How sustainable are these chemical solutions for our health and the environment.
Research conducted by: Julia Giangrande, a student of Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston, MA, USA
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What the Actual FLUX?
We will be researching and comparing various fluxes used in the jewellery and metalsmithing industry with a focus on issues of sustainability, occupational health and safety, and efficacy.
Research conducted by: Student group at Queensland College of Art, Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia.
Criticalsmiths is powered by our Education Committee
The Education Committee builds a community that champions the most sustainable practices in the metalsmithing and jewelry fields. Through questioning and interrogating accepted standards, we foster curiosity to find best practices. We disseminate this information and build calls to action through projects such as Radical Jewelry Makeover, International State of Practice, So Fresh + So Clean, and Criticalsmiths.