I’m interested in expanding my awareness of jewelry crafted by Third World artisans . To me, this work speaks of the joy of life, the dangers of life, the sorrows and the changes. It is jewelry that is exuberant and alive.

I would love to see more American artists creating wearable art that is so close to their everyday lives, reflecting what they dream about and how they go about their business. Maybe they do, but the color and the drama isn’t as apparent. There are some marvelous artists in our country; it isn’t my intention to demean anyone. But I’m a guy who likes my art to be “noisy.” And this doesn’t just apply to jewelry. Some of my favorite movies are richly layered and they can be a part of almost any genre. The original “Rocky” movie is one of my favorites!

If you haven’t been collecting gold jewelry in recent years, this may be one of your last chances to do so. It’s not in my nature to be an alarmist, but I want as many people as possible to own gold, and this is one of the ways to do it. This is my opinion, but I believe you should not, unless it is imperative for your very survival, turn in your gold jewelry for money right now.

There are predictions that gold will be out the roof, price-wise within a few more years, so hold onto it if you can! It may be a bit of a bumpy ride ahead, and gold and silver can be a buffer for possible hard times.