Working with Masters and Singing with the Beatles
The first time I taught at Metalwerx in Waltham, Massachusetts, Cynthia Eid volunteered to be my teaching assistant, so she could test my techniques with Argentium® silver. As I said to the students in that workshop, having Cynthia TA was like having the Beatles as my backup band.
Cynthia had long before discovered the educational value of assisting her peers. Doing so has a behind-the-scenes, added benefit of deeper questions and brainstorming with whomever is instructing. In this case, hundreds of people who studied with me since have benefited from the information she provided in how to use Argentium® with the techniques I teach in regular sterling and/or fine silver.
I have been fortunate to work with, and even be assisted by, a number of master peers over the years. In a field with no shortage of egos, those who recognize there is always more to learn from each other stand heads taller than those who pretend to know it all.
Cynthia’s never-ending desire to explore and pioneer more technical processes drives her artistry above and beyond what is always already exceptional. That is why I asked her to write one of the essays for my monograph Radiant Echoes. She chose to focus on my pioneering blend of ancient and modern techniques to achieve new artwork that honors yet breaks with tradition She also cites my commitment to keeping the lineage alive through accessible innovation.
Victoria joins an elite group of women metalsmith entrepreneurs who have designed their own tools to make it easy for people to learn her technique for repoussé.
From the essay Victoria Lansford – Blending Ancient Tradition with Modern Innovation by Cynthia Eid
22k gold, sterling silver, fine silver, Koroit opal
7.5 x 5.5 x 1.5 in 18 in. chain
Observing that a piece of filigree can be thought of as a piece of sheet metal when bending, curving, or forming, Victoria has not only brought her own work to new heights, she has broken down the concept into a system of steps to teach this way of thinking to students.
From the essay Victoria Lansford – Blending Ancient Tradition with Modern Innovation by Cynthia Eid
In the unlikely event you aren’t already familiar with her artwork, it’s my great pleasure to introduce you to Cynthia and her recent, jaw-dropping, raised, formed, and enameled vessels and brooches.
Cynthia Eid’s career has been diverse, ranging from designer and maker roles in goldsmith galleries to a modelmaker and supervisor in a gold jewelry factory to artist, educator, and author. Her award-winning approach to metalwork emphasizes the fluid movement, form, and joining of metal, along with colorful enamels – showcasing her skills through sculptural jewelry and hollowware.
A notable pioneer in working with Argentium Silver since 1999, Eid has contributed to its development since meeting its inventor, Peter Johns, in 2003. Her work with Argentium has earned her the title of Pioneer by Argentium International, Ltd. Eid is co-author of Creative Metal Forming with Betty Helen Longhi, a comprehensive book on synclastic and anticlastic forming which has been praised as the first comprehensive textbook on the subject. Eid is also involved in tool development for jewelers and metalsmiths, collaborating with Knew Concepts for jewelers’ saws and Bonny Doon for hydraulic press tools. Together with Longhi, she developed a set of four anticlastic stakes.
As an educator, Eid has taught across the USA, Canada, Europe, and Australia. Cynthia Eid’s multifaceted career bridges the gap between artistic creation and education, making her a pivotal figure in the world of contemporary metalsmithing. For more about her work and contributions, visit her official website, https://cynthiaeid.com.
