"Bright smiths" working in gold, silver, bronze, and copper

Last week I learned that the recent full moon coincided with Imbolc, the Celtic festival that serves as the halfway point between the shortest day of the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. Imbolc is also known as St. Brigid’s day. Brigid (Ffraid in Welsh) is the patron saint of Metalsmiths, including the “bright smiths” as the Irish call those of us working in the bright metals of gold, silver, bronze, and copper.*

Refraction, Eastern repoussé ring with keum boo embellishments — *Refraction,* Eastern repoussé ring with keum boo embellishments, 2024; sterling, 24k gold; 0.875 x 1 x 1 in; photo by Pat Vasquez-Cunningham

I find much inspiration in so many cultures’ mythology, and I never tire of connecting the dots between such stories’ evolutions or connecting the similarities of myths between regions and eras that might not have been known to each other.

Joseph Campbell famously said, “The material of myth is the material of life,” in his days-long interview with Bill Moyers decades ago. Rather than clinging to misguided notions of history or ‘fact’ in myths, I find what they truly reveal is humanity’s need to create meaning from the inexplicable.

Once and Future Box, chased and fabricated box with Eastern repoussé lid, 1998; Sterling silver; 3.75 x 2.5 x 0.25 in

Being an absolute nerd for all things to do with Arthurian myths, I named the box after one of my two favorite versions of the tale, The Once and Future King by T. H. White (the other is The Mists of Avalon). My very practical reason was that I kept changing my mind, pushing up the
relief and countersinking the Eastern repoussé top, defying the laws of physics, and even remaking the box. It had been a box, and I knew
it would be a box again one day, though across the 3 years I worked on it, it seemed forever in progress.

Once and Future Box, Eastern repousse lid, chased bottom (inside view) — *Once and Future Box,* Eastern repousse lid, chased bottom (inside view)

We metalsmiths notoriously crack jokes about making an offering to the solder gods before flicking on a torch because we know that, no matter how carefully we practice our art, flame and heat are largely predictable yet ever imprecise. There is always an element of chance that things might or might not go our way. The metalsmith’s skill is in learning to set ourselves up for success then dance with the risks and play them, whenever we can, in our favor.

I love the idea of being a “bright smith!” Not just because I’m a magpie at heart or because of the play on words, but also because the reflected light that bounces off our artwork tells an epic of persistence and hope.

And we could all use a lot more hope right now!

Exquisite handmade cuff bracelet adorned with a beautifully chased pattern — *Pond Landscape* Cuff Bracelet by Milena Sosa Schmidt

What could be brighter than the feel of hammering without training wheels to perpetuate a 5500+ year old legacy?

The biggest thrill for me as an educator is feeling that I have midwifed others’ expansive creative expressions, especially when people use the skills I teach them to achieve more than they might have believed possible.

Create Eastern repoussé cuff bracelets and rings in designs of your own as these amazing past students of mine have done!