We recently connected with Cynthia Eid and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cynthia, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My parents were both makers in their spare time. My mother sewed, wove, stitched rugs, and led us kids with craft projects. My father’s father was a carpenter, and my dad seemed like he could make or fix anything. My dad and grandfather built the house I lived in until I was 12, as well as most of the furniture.
When I was 12, my parents bought a large old house that had interesting features, such as oval and round windows, but was a wreck. Being part of the transformation was a big lesson in visualizing potential, and making it happen through hard work.
As a young teenager, I began making candles. My mom set me up in the basement with the equipment I needed. She kept me busy by placing “orders” for candles as gifts to friends and family. When I began making jewelry at high school, she bought me the basic tools, and gave me another area of the basement to work in.
When I decided to major in Art in college, my parents supported that decision. I remember being surprised that they did not pressure me to get a more “practical” degree. It probably helped that we had a family friend who was a professor of Jewelry and Metalsmithing at the University of Illinois.
Having this lifelong support from my parents is a precious gift.

Cynthia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

: I began making jewelry in junior high, and continued in high school. I earned a B.S. in Art Education at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and an M.F.A in Jewelry and Silversmithing at Indiana University, Bloomington.
Upon graduation, went to the school of hard knocks for 5 years. I got a job with a custom goldsmith, and learned to design and create for customers. Then I worked for a second goldsmith, who taught me to make molds of the wedding and engagement rings that I designed for his business. The skill of mold-making got me a job in a gold jewelry factory, where I supervised other jewelers, and people doing the production processes, such as wax injecting, casting, and polishing.
Then I started my own business in my home studio, doing custom jewelry as well as limited editions for galleries. When my children reached school age, I continued the business, but began making Art again, as well.
All of my work is formed—-mostly by hammering, but often with the help of a hydraulic press. I have a habit of getting interested in a tool or technique, and working at it until I am an expert. My work is unique in the way that I combine techniques. My work begins with a rough sketch and develops as I work, and I see potentials in what is coming into being. My explorations have taken me from hammer forming to foldforming to the hydraulic press to the unique alloy Argentium Silver to my current passion: enameling.
One of my biggest accomplishments is co-authoring the book Creative Metal Forming with Betty Helen Longhi. After working on the book for 9 years, it was published in 2013. It has become THE textbook for metal forming, used in colleges, but approachable for hobbyists as well.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When I was in high school, taking jewelry making, I was given the privilege of being one of a few students allowed to use the jewelry classroom during study halls and after school. One day, I overheard the teacher (who I adored and revered) say, “Tom is an Artist. Cindy is a craftsman.” The way that she said it indicated that she did not think that I was truly creative, and could not be an artist. This was devastating to hear.
I spent years hearing that in my head. I spent those years trying to overcome that “deficit.” One day, I realized that though it had hurt terribly, hearing that opinion of my potential had been a powerful motivator. Finally, I knew that I had proved her wrong. I am an Artist!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I love seeing my work evolve from the raw materials: flat sheet metal and powdered enamel. It is an amazing feeling to take a rough sketch, and make it reality. The processes and techniques that I use allow for innovation and serendipity as I work. I make very exact drawings and/or models for commissions, and I enjoy creating something to fulfill someone else’s dream: wedding rings or sculpture for a synagogue. But when I am creating for myself, I have the freedom to follow the promptings of the materials, as they suggest new avenues to explore. The excitement of traveling down an unexplored path is indescribable.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cynthiaeid.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cynthiaeidmetalsmith
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CynthiaEidSilverWhisperer/

Image Credits

Photos by Cynthia Eid