Townsman, 1991-02, Page 24Master craftsman
Robert Stoddart turns row gold into prize winning jewellery
By Bonnie Gropp
The talent and artistic creativity of goldsmith Robert Stoddart is evident in these original custom designed rings.
Robert Stoddart is an artist, but
you won't find his creations display-
ed on canvas or molded from clay.
For 17 years this Goderich resident
has used his creative talents to
design and hand -craft gold, silver
and other metals into incomparable,
timeless works of art.
As a gold and silver smith, Robert
creates jewellery designs that are
truly an art form, unlike those found
in retail jewellery stores. Every
piece is custom made. and like any
artist's work, no two are ever the
same.
People looking for a piece of
custom jewellery will come to
Robert with an idea of what they
are looking for. Robert confers with
them, then later presents them with
four or five conceptual drawings.
which help them to make the final
decision. A lot of jewellers say they
are doing custom work, Robert
says, but essentially what they will
do is have people choose a design
from a book, then they will simply
put the stones into it. "Here, the
person actually is helping with the
design, they have input into it, and
that makes them happy," he ex-
plains.
"Often times a store will adver-
tise that they have a goldsmith on
the premises, but that person is
only doing repair work and solder-
ing. Being able to solder is not
being a goldsmith," he said. "I
work with a lot of stones and gems,
setting them into rings and other
pieces of jewellery, but it doesn't
mean I'm a gemologist."
Robert's work begins with flat
sheets of metal, which are raised
up. The creative and artistic ability
it takes to transform these into
original pieces of jewellery has won
Robert numerous Canadian Merit
Awards. From 300 entries Robert
was one of 22 designers selected to
represent Canada at a European
show for contemporary goldsmith
22 TOWNSMAN/FEBRUARY-MARCH 1991
In his workshop Robert is able to
transform sheets of metal into
classic jewellery designs.