Nowadays, though, everyone can be a goldsmith or a silversmith, crafting their own pieces of jewellery, whether they be trinkets or more valuable items.
Of course, you’d first have to learn the craft. And this you can do from Derek Tan, who teaches people the ins and outs of working with precious metals.
Speaking with FMT Lifestyle, Tan, 40, said a single course with him, spanning 18 hours or less, was all one needed to learn the basics of metalsmithing.
The course teaches you to pierce, saw, solder and polish. “With those techniques, you can go quite far,” he said.
On most days, you can find Tan busy tinkering away in his workshop at Fine Metal Studio in Plaza Damas.
He said he opened his workshop more than 10 years ago after working with an established jeweller for several years.
“As time went on,” he said, “I got more and more requests from people who were interested to learn.”
At the time, he added, options for people wanting to learn how to make jewellery were limited. He therefore offered a handful of classes and, while teaching, he began to explore what else he could do himself.
“It was a case of natural progression,” he said regarding his transition from putting beads together to working with metal.
Family support was helpful in this regard. And Tan’s folks have always been supportive. “You can do whatever you want as long as you complete your studies first,” he recalled his parents saying when he decided on his unorthodox choice of career.
He acknowledged that many Malaysians mistakenly believe that the life of an artisan is not financially sustainable. “But I believe that with perseverance and lots of focus, you can do it,” he said.
Tan largely works with sterling silver. Occasionally, he works with gold. “Gold is largely used when people are coming in to make their own wedding rings,” he said.
Apparently, there are quite a number of lovebirds who prefer making their own rings to buying them readymade.
For a metalsmithing newbie, the craft may appear intimidating at first. “The truth is,” said Tan, “it’s not. It’s fairly easy, quite manageable.”
His students are “a mixed crowd” from all walks of life, with some as young as 12 and others older than 70.
For first-time students, Tan’s foremost tip is: “Take it easy and go slow. When you are working on something, just be patient.”
Is metalsmithing a stressful task or a therapeutic exercise? Tan said most of his students would say it was therapeutic.
“It can be very relaxing, but it also can be a little bit tense if you take things too seriously,” he said. Putting too much thought into one’s work can apparently be counterproductive.
And what about the risks to one’s safety? Tan insists that despite having to occasionally work with high temperatures, metalsmithing is safe as long as the right precautions are taken.
For Tan, what gives him the most joy is not the work itself but rather the chance to help build a community of metalsmiths in Malaysia.
“People who come here share the same passion. It’s really nice that everyone comes together, giving and sharing ideas with each other and becoming lifelong friends.”
Tan said he hoped to see more homegrown jewellers and metalsmiths popping up in the next few years, especially from among Gen Z and Gen Y.
He encouraged future artisans: “You have to go through the tough period first, when you are building up. You have to do a lot of hard work. After that, everything basically just falls into place.”
Fine Metal Studio
Block E-1-8 Plaza Damas,
60, Jalan Sri Hartamas 1,
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Contact: 03-6206 2832
Email: [email protected]