{"id":14710,"date":"2022-04-06T15:33:53","date_gmt":"2022-04-06T10:03:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/?p=14710"},"modified":"2022-05-03T11:53:13","modified_gmt":"2022-05-03T06:23:13","slug":"into-the-mind-of-chris-ploof","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/into-the-mind-of-chris-ploof\/","title":{"rendered":"Into The Mind Of Chris Ploof"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Whistle while you work is the maxim close to this celebrated artisan\u2019s heart. If he doesn\u2019t enjoy what he does, he discards the project \u2013 as simple as that. It\u2019s more about \u2018play at work\u2019 \u2013 an aspect deeply forged into his work philosophy.<\/em>  <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Meet master metalsmith and twice winner of Santa Fe Symposium\u2019s Industry Leader Award, CHRIS PLOOF<\/strong>, <\/strong>Designer and Founder of Chris Ploof Designs, Massachusetts, who enjoys teasing out beautiful forms out of bio-compatible Damsascus steel, meteorite, palladium, platinum, gold, and is known for his application of Mokume Gane, an ancient Japanese metalworking technique that produces wood-grain patterns, in his jewellery.<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Chris Ploof is a genius, a master metalsmith, who considers himself fortunate to enjoy what he does best \u2013 melting, moulding, and manipulating metals to forge new shapes in the form jewellery.  Each piece is as unique as the person who wears it. \u201cWe use our heads, we listen to our hearts, and we make with our hands,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell us about your early years … you were always enraptured by metalwork, and the use of different material\/ metals\u202f…\u202f\u202fYou have always been a hands-on artist. Before designing jewellery, what was your profession?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve always been very creative, and engineering minded. I do love using my hands and my head!  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My early years as a very young child were filled with play with various building toys and, much to my mother’s dismay, disassembling mechanical items around the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I was old enough to start working and have a career, I worked as a mechanic in the bicycling industry. I worked as a sales manager and service manager to a team mechanic for both men\u2019s and women\u2019s cycling teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, I become the head mechanic and trainer of a multi-store bicycle retail chain.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chris Ploof in his workshop \u2013 doing what he is best at!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What was the turning point that made you shift to contemporary jewellery designing?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wanted to learn how to cast some metal pieces to make a few tools out of aluminum for bicycle repairs, so I enrolled in a night class for jewellery casting. I thought the knowledge would allow me to accomplish my toolmaking goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in the process, I discovered the smaller scale world of jewellery, and loved it! I was instantly hooked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stack of Chris Ploof rings made with steel, Damascus steel, Mokume Gane, Damascus recycled shotgun barrel.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When did you establish Chris Ploof Designs?\u202f\u202f<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I started making my first pieces of jewellery in the late 1990s. By 2004, I had officially started my company and began selling in the United States and in other countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many jewellery artists start off with an inspiration to begin with … and leave it to the technicians and artisans to execute the final piece. You definitely love to experiment with different metals. Tell us how is a piece of jewellery realised from start to finish in your atelier?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Generally, my designs start with an idea, a vision of the finished piece. Many times, it is really an incomplete vision – meaning as we make the piece, the design may evolve or change. Some of this is dictated by aesthetics, but typically, we make changes based on the materials we are using. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are masters of use of some very difficult techniques and metals (for example, Mokume Gane, Damascus Steel, and Meteorite). By necessity, this influences how we make our pieces. We also are known to discuss pieces as a group as they are taking form – we like to have fun at work and have actually stopped making some designs because we didn’t enjoy them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which are the methods\/metals that you love to work with and why? What impels you to take the paths unknown?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We use the process of Mokume Gane in our work, a precious metal lamination technique that allows us to create wood grain patterns.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Damascus Steel is a favourite material – we laminate, forge, and twist 304\/316 steel into bars and sheets to produce rings (especially wedding bands) and other types of jewellery (pendants, cuff bracelets, bangles, earrings, etc.) We are so adept at creating beautiful patterns for a fair price.  We sell large quantities of this material to other jewelry manufacturers in the United States, China, Finland, Sweden, Thailand, and Canada. We also sell this material to people outside of the jewellery industry (like knife makers) who desire to make items out of our patterned Damascus steel. Over the past few years, we have been working with the high-end audio industry making materials used to produce in ear monitors (IEMs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People can see some of the processes we use in this new video below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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