Greeting from an Irishman living in exile

Good Morning, I have been reading this board for some time but I’ve been unable to participate because of my inability to read French, Google translate has taken care of that, thank you Google. This is a wonderful board that combines the knowledge of professionals and the enthusiasm of serious students. I look forward to participating.

My name is Terry Walsh, I am 71 years old and I’ve been working in the Jewellry profession since 1963. I began my apprenticeship in Dublin Ireland, at that time it was a seven year apprenticeship. I worked in London for a couple of years and moved to the United States in 1971, I currently live in rural Maine. I’ve been self-employed for about about 36 years and I am still working at the bench.

I am what they call in the US a “special order jeweller”. I primarily make one of a kind pieces for jewellry stores. I work mostly in Platinum and 18Kt gold. I also make pieces for private clients and for stock. Despite my long experience there are many jewelry skills I do not practice, I do not set stones, I do not engrave, I do not enamel, etc. I only make “mountings” I think this is typical of European craftsmen of my generation where each facet of craftsmanship was taught separately to selected apprentices. I’m delighted to be part of this community and I look forward to learning more from all of you, Many thanks, Terry

Welcome, Terry!

hello TerryW

Please to meet you one this wonderfull knowleng-sharing place .

Such a rich carriere ! It will be great to see some of your creation here !

have a nice day !

Hello Old chap' ...Nice to meet you ...

I do not wanted to make a mystake ,but I'm thinking you're the most aged of our member ...(this is not an personal attack !) ....

I'm really surprised ,when I think about to spend all my life in the same job ...and without the possibility to learning something different ...or new ...

So many years to do the same gests ....Ô my Gosh ! I could'n believed on that ...this could not penetrated in my follish brain ...I can turn mad ...please tell me ,because now you're retired ,you are keeping your tools and doing what ever you wanted to do....please tell me that ...


Any way ...welcome here ,and if you can showing us a pieced oh what your're doing for so many years ...I will apprécied ! thanks for joined us ...

Hello to you too, Eddy. Thank you for your welcome, I’d be astonished if I were the oldest member of your group, it makes me feel quite ancient. While you might wonder how someone could have the same “job” for such a long time, it is quite common for people to spend most of their lives with one profession and still have a wide range of interests outside that profession.

I, on the other hand, wonder how I have managed to fit so much into such a short lifetime. I credit this to having an insatiable curiosity and a “joie de vie” as the French like to say. Two wives (on separate occasions) four children and four grandchildren, I’ve travelled the world and four continents to fly fish for elusive Trout and Salmon, and much, much more. A life well lived, I’d say. I’m not bored at all.

On a serious note, although I have been doing this for a long time, it still captivates and fascinates me, there is nothing I would rather do. The only regret is that I must bow to to the ravages of time, I would trade with Faust for a pair of young eyes. I would like to share a photo of a ring I made a few years ago, it is part of a series of "cigar bands" I made, platinum 18K yellow gold and Diamonds. I hope you like it, many thanks, Terry

Oh my GASH ..this is wonderfull ...the colors of the two métal make the piece amazing ...as you said before ,you do not set the stones by your'self ...this is bad ...and of course I do not want to ask you if this is totally make by ands (do not answer this please ..you should vex' me ...

Many thanls to you ....hummmm I aknwoleg Mr Faust ,is a friend of mine ..;do you want me to spoke about your' eyes ...but remember his price is everything but not low ...you see ...???


sorry about my anglish writing ,I do  not use google ,an I'am writing like I speak...baddly you do'not understand french ...we can have a pleasant conversation I'm sure ...

Take care about you're self ..but .....if you are surviving against two wedding ...that meaning you are verry strong ...


Eddy

Hi Terry,

Welcome on board, glad to see a foreigner who has an interest in this forum especially someone with such knowledge, hope you'll show us your work in your own thread, and if you open one I'm waiting for your fly fishing pictures, do you tie some yourself?

As Eddy I live in french Polynesia and do fly fishing with both 10 and 12 line, tropical fly fishing is awesome. Before that I was living in France and was in Pyrénées's mountains, wonderful place to practice fly fishing. I hope to come in the US to catch some steelhead one day.


Some of our members speak English really well, so don't hesitate to write in English, we even have a Russian member who writes in Cyrillic.



Congrats for this ring it is outstanding.




Greetings

Thank you Bapu, it's nice to be here,........ at my age it's nice to be anywhere. I love to fly fish, and to tie flies, I have been teaching fly tying here in Maine for almost 20 years. Although I have visited France many times I have not fished there, Charles Ritz was a pioneering fly fisher from France and still an influence on the sport today. I hope you make it here to fish for Steelhead, particularly the Pacific northwest although some of the best Steelhead fishing is in Canada's west coast and British Columbia region. I don't know if it is permissible to post pictures of non- jewelry items on this board otherwise I would show you some fly patterns.

Eddy, the ring posted above is entirely fabricated by hand. It has about 35 different components, the outside rims are "sleeves" onto which the center Platinum domed band slides, and then is soldered in place, the 18k decorations on the center band are applied before the outer bands are attached. The patina on the platinum is from sandblasted glass beads. As you noted, the color combination, and the sandblasted finish are integral to the overall design, I alloy my own gold and this particular color of 18k is one I have used for many years. I did not set the Diamonds, they were set by a long time colleague of mine (now deceased) from Barcelona, Spain. He was a wonderful craftsman and he set all my work for more than 20 years. His apprentice now does my setting.

While I don't feel the need to explain why I don't do my own setting as many jewelers today do, there is an important point to be made about it. A fine piece of jewelry often requires the collaboration of many different skills, Lapidary, Engraver, stone setter, polisher, etc. the skill level of all the participants must be superior or the piece suffers greatly. The old adage "Jack of all trades but master of none" rings true. Terry

Bonjour Terry W,

Bienvenu parmi nous.

Ta longue route et ta grande expérience du métier nous prouve sasn aucun doute possible ton amour du travail fait entièrement à la main sans moulage.

Nous serons heureux de discuter ( grâce à Google ) avec toi de ce merveilleux métier.

VIVENT les régions rurales du Maine

VIVE les USA

VIVE l'Irlande

Have a very good day

Michel Zim

Thank you for your welcome, Michael. If you are the founder of this forum may I offer my congratulations, you are providing an excellent source for those of us who are immersed in this culture but most of all to the young people who would like to learn but do not have the opportunity in their own communities. This is what makes the internet so valuable, it's potential as a learning tool and its ability to join people from all around the world in a common purpose.

I should add, Michael, that I have spent quite some time in Quebec. I have fished for Atlantic Salmon for many years on La Gaspésie, the most beautiful salmon rivers in the world, the York, the Dartmouth and the St-Jean all around the beautiful town of Gaspe. I have fished many other rivers in that area including the Restigouch, the Matapedia, the Petite Caspedia and into Labrador and Newfoundland. You live in a wonderful place, we are practically neighbors!

Vive Quebec libre !

Bonjour Terry W,

Oui, j'ai ouvert ce forum il y a un peu plus de neuf années avec comme objectif un partage le plus grand possible sur toute la planète uniquement orienté sur les techniques classiques de ce métier.

Ha...les rivières de cet immense Québec avec ses truites et ses saumons en quantité incroyable. J,ai une fois fait une voyage de pèche qui dura trois jours ( Au nord des Escoumins ) , nous étions une bonne dizaine de pêcheurs, sasn cesse nous avions avec nous le cota autorisé, ( au minimum si je me souviens de 20 truites chacun ). On mangeait de la truite à tous les repas, petits déjeuners inclus,

Si un jour tu repasses à Québec, passe me voir sur la Côte de la Fabrique, au numéro 46, tout juste à côté de l'Hôtel de ville. Je te ferai visiter mon atelier et ma boutique.

Le Québec n'est pas encore libre, mais vivre dans cette province francophone est une grande chance.

J'ai regardé ton blog avec grand plaisir, on y voit de jolies merveilles:

http://terrywalshdesignblog.blogspot.com/

http://terrywalshdesignblog.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-11-22T13:51:00-05:00&max-results=10

Magnifique fin de journée à toi.



Michel Zim

Terry W a écrit:

Thank you Bapu, it's nice to be here,........ at my age it's nice to be anywhere. I love to fly fish, and to tie flies, I have been teaching fly tying here in Maine for almost 20 years. Although I have visited France many times I have not fished there, Charles Ritz was a pioneering fly fisher from France and still an influence on the sport today. I hope you make it here to fish for Steelhead, particularly the Pacific northwest although some of the best Steelhead fishing is in Canada's west coast and British Columbia region. I don't know if it is permissible to post pictures of non- jewelry items on this board otherwise I would show you some fly patterns.

Eddy, the ring posted above is entirely fabricated by hand. It has about 35 different components, the outside rims are "sleeves" onto which the center Platinum domed band slides, and then is soldered in place, the 18k decorations on the center band are applied before the outer bands are attached. The patina on the platinum is from sandblasted glass beads. As you noted, the color combination, and the sandblasted finish are integral to the overall design, I alloy my own gold and this particular color of 18k is one I have used for many years. I did not set the Diamonds, they were set by a long time colleague of mine (now deceased) from Barcelona, Spain. He was a wonderful craftsman and he set all my work for more than 20 years. His apprentice now does my setting.

While I don't feel the need to explain why I don't do my own setting as many jewelers today do, there is an important point to be made about it. A fine piece of jewelry often requires the collaboration of many different skills, Lapidary, Engraver, stone setter, polisher, etc. the skill level of all the participants must be superior or the piece suffers greatly. The old adage "Jack of all trades but master of none" rings true. Terry

Hi Terry, thanks for the steelhead and the British Columbia, what do you think about Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana? I'd like to visit those states. Or at least the Montana I plan to make a trip and spend 2 or 3 weeks there.

I've been two times in New Zealand on both north and South Island , and that's place is unbelievable for a fisherman, I saw the biggest river's trouts I ever seen. Depends on where you fish but a 8 line is common for brown and rainbow.


If you want you can open your own thread and post what ever you want from jewelry step by step (or just show us your work) to fly tying and fishing trip if you want. I'll be there to watch it with pleasure.

You can go here :

https://bijouxalacheville.forumactif.org/f16-vos-bijoux-et-creations



Regards

Thank you Bapu, I have posted my first piece, and a fly photo for you, a dry Mayfly. I need to fix the text and photo size for my posts, they are both too small and too big. Terry

Welcome, Irishman !
You've a lovely exile :p

I think there is not much problems for english : google is our friend too ! You see... Eddy's french is quite the same than his english

I hope your rural-Maine-place's bar added some Irish beer when you came

Looking at your job, I stayed just speechless... Maybe the red-stoned Cigar bands could be the first ring I can imagine to wear.
Evrything is soooo beautiful

Well... Welcome, I (am tot the only one who) would love to read at you very much

Thank you for your kind welcome, Corsaire. You live in a wonderful place, I visited there in 1972 with my first wife and some friends from Paris, we toured the Loire valley and the Chateaux region. Delicious crepes and Calvados as I recall. My older brother was a chef de cuisine working with Paul Bocuse in Lyon at the time and lived in France for several years. If you are referring to the Ruby and Diamond cigar band in my blog, that is also my favorite if that series. Although those rings were made years ago, I continue to make them, I have an order for one on my bench right now with a green diamond and two white diamonds. Thank you again for your welcome, Terry

verry nice work!

cigar-ring.... an art of living