Peddling a New Passion

In 1971, while studying chemistry and math at Bemidji State College in Minnesota, Tim took his first jewelry class to satisfy a liberal arts requirement. His primary motivation for choosing a jewelry class was curiosity. He wondered how those jewelry mountings like the ones he had once ordered out of hobby catalogues were made. After attending his first class, he knew he had made the right decision. What began as a curiosity soon developed into a passion. He decided to drop every course except his jewelry class to concentrate on making jewelry. He spent his days in the college jewelry lab, even though he was berated by fellow art students and professors, who couldn’t understand how a science nerd ended up in their department. One professor, Mr. Malmquist, became Tim’s mentor, encouraging his curiosity in the craft.

While Tim was gaining more experience with the crafting of jewelry, Jim, then living in Minneapolis began to sell the creations to the bead and sandal crowds at the university and at local art fairs. Their agate silver jewelry was popular and the first year sales provided them with enough money to buy their own tools. These tools were primitive and limited the type of jewelry that could be made. Without casting equipment, they resorted to using charcoal casting where a design was carved into the surface of a charcoal block and molten silver poured into the carvings. Jim’s continuing sales, though limited at this stage, was enough to keep them interested. During this period, one of their biggest “sales” was made when their entire jewelry display that was on consignment at the university bookstore was stolen. The bookstore reimbursed them for the stolen goods.