Description
Fantastic ring signed David SM Allende. Sz 6.5 1 1/8" face. 14.5 grams. High quality sterling and turquoise ring with no issues. Davíd ínez became one of the most interesting and innovative silversmiths and jewelers in San Miguel de Allende. Today, he is a master of his craft. Watching him work, you can see his confidence in the sureness of his hand, the familiarity with which he handles his tools. "You have to be very relaxed to make jewelry, very comfortable with yourself," he claims. "And you can't be in a hurry."He says he's never sure how a piece will turn out when he starts. He doesn't draw his pieces in advance. His work is all freestyle. "Sometimes I don't have any idea. I put some nice music on and let it guide me."His designs come from his head and his heart. "Most of the time, the stone tells you what it wants to be," he explains. "Then you just have to provide it." The results are fresh, different. People familiar with his work can often look at a case full of jewelry, point to one piece and say "That's a Davíd ínez design."No two pieces are ever exactly alike, though sometimes he'll see a copy of a piece he's made. "If people steal my designs, well, I'm glad to be an inspiration for them. It took me a while to get to that point. I used to get mad. Now, I just make something different."A San Miguel ArtistNow in his 40s, Davíd ínez has found his voice and his art. He lives with his wife Claudia and their daughter, Andrea, 8. He makes his jewelry, shares his skills with others. He now teaches in one-on-one sessions. Most of his students are Americans."First you learn the basics, how to make a clean bezel to hold the stone. You learn to work with sheet, wire, how to solder. But really it's all basic. What's a bracelet? It's a band. What's a ring? It's a band. Then you hammer it, burn it, melt it, stamp it. It's just metal. But the metal becomes alive by what you do to it."From papel mache painter to tinsmith to ditch digger to waiter to silversmith to consummate San Miguel artist, Davíd ínez has lived an adventure and arrived back home.
