Kelly Williams
K.W. Goldsmith, Minneapolis, MN
This article originally appeared in the April 2015 edition of INSTORE.
When Kelly Williams graduated college with a degree in fine art in 1995 and a jewelry apprenticeship, she became hooked on metalwork almost immediately, moving on to work as a designer goldsmith and to study at top trade schools. In 2010, she became sole proprietor of K.W. Goldsmith, a full-service custom trade shop. In that role, she’s also the goldsmith for half a dozen retail stores. In 2012 she launched her own line of cowgirl jewelry, Whiplash Designs. — Eileen McClelland
1
Inspiration will strike whenever I least expect it, so I always have a sketchbook handy. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten up in the middle of the night to sketch an idea I just had.
2 Take care of your tools and they will take care of you. Any time you invest in tools, it’s always a good investment. If it makes your job more efficient and saves you from frustration, it’s always a great purchase.
3 Coffee makes everything better.
4 A goldsmith must pay attention to detail. Not only when you’re creating a piece — to make sure everything fits together and is functional — but also, attention to what the client wants. Sometimes you have to read between the lines to understand what they are trying to communicate. They come to you with a vague idea; they have something pictured and you have something pictured and you have to get the two pictures to match up, to figure out a design that will be functional and durable and still what they are visualizing.
5 Nothing goes 100 percent according to plan. Always have a backup plan, a plan B and a plan C.