 bout my Work and Creativity
My life’s path is that of the goldsmith, a path of over 30 years now. To say I love my job would be an understatement. When my creative juices are really flowing, work is closer to a meditation than anything else. The making is an end in itself. Like a musician lost in the playing of the music, I can sit still for hours, blissfully focused, arranging tiny granules of gold into beautiful patterns. I try to find harmony in even the minutest step of the process, whether it’s the positioning of a single granule, or shaving off a tenth of a millimeter of gold to get a perfect line. This is the foundation and integrity of my art.
Given my almost religious fervor for goldsmithing, it’s not too surprising that I’m most drawn to the regal and spiritual themes and the awesome craftsmanship of goldsmiths past. While paying homage to their artistry, I like to “tweak” history a bit, adding my unique contemporary synthesis to the old archetypes. My more ambitious works like Floating City and Pregnant Chalice are perfect examples of this approach, which influences my work down to the smallest earring.
One of the most difficult aspects of devoting a lifetime to this art/craft has been making a living without compromising the integrity of work that, by its nature, is very time-consuming. This has required enormous dedication and patience, and a willingness to grow and change on my part. The biggest break in my career came the day I met Lynn, now my wife and partner who, with her great personality, business experience and natural feel for marketing, has been a perfect compliment to my artistic sensibilities. Together we are creating a successful business of integrity and beauty that supports our family.
I am blessed to be able to work with the rarest and most beautiful of our earth’s treasures, and create art in the intimate form of jewelry. Whether I am executing a commission, designing a piece for the Studio Collection, or making a piece to satisfy my own creative urges, I know someone out there is waiting to join me in the artistic journey of that piece. I am grateful to those that have purchased and supported my work over the years, not only for supporting my family, but also for helping me continue the 7000 year-old tradition of the goldsmith.
Publications
Brilliance!:
Masterpieces from The American Jewelry Design Council
Lark Books
2008
500 Pendants and Lockets
Contemporary Interpretations of Classic Adornments
Lark Books
2008
Masters Gemstones:
Major Works by Leading Jewelers
Lark Books
2008
The Penland Book of Jewelry
Master Classes in Jewelry Techniques
Lark Books
2005
1000 Rings
Inspiring Adornments for the Hand
Lark Books
2004
Masters of Their Craft
Highlights from the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Smithsonian Institution
2003
Art Jewelry Today
Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.
2003
Skilled Work
American Craft in the Renwick Gallery
National Museum of American Art Smithsonian Institution
1998
Museum Acquisitions
• Oakland, CA Museum, 1992 Three pieces, Scepter Clasp on Woven Chain, Pendant in a Square Motif, and Chain Earrings acquired for the permanent collection.
• Renwick Gallery, National Museum of American Art, the Smithsonian, 1996 Floating City Purchase of the James Renwick Alliance for the permanent collection.
Professional Affiliations
AGTA American Gem Trade Association
AJDC American Jewelry Design Council
Metal Arts Guild of the San Francisco Bay Area
SNAG Society of North American Goldsmiths
Education and Training
• Basically self-taught
• 1971-1973 Sir Frances Drake High School, San Anselmo, CA. First classes in metals, focusing primarily on casting and soldering skills.
• 1973-1977 College of Marin, Kentfield, CA. Glen Miller, instructor.
Self directed studies in granulation, silversmithing, casting.
• 1976 William Clark, Emeryville, CA. Six month class in various subjects, including dies and molds, spinning, tube forming and stone setting.
• 1978-1982 Revere Academy, San Francisco, CA. Classes in rendering, gold refining, diamond setting.
• 1983-1984 Fachhochschule fuer Gestaltung, Schwaebisch Gmuend, West Germany. Guest studies in enameling, engraving, and Granulation.
• 1998 Glen Lehrer, Larkspur, CA Week-long class in gem carving.
Timeline of major career events
• Born 1955, Berkeley, CA, into a family of artists.
• 1971 Took my first jewelry class in high school, at girlfriend’s request.
• 1973 Went on to study at local junior College, where my father was an art teacher.
• By the age of 20, I was winning local awards at Bay Area art shows, and selling mostly silver items.
• 1977 I win first national award, in the Sterling Silver Design Competition, for a small sculpture, Waterpipe.
• 1979 I begin a three-year stint teaching jewelry classes in Adult Education at the College of Marin in Kentfield, CA.
• 1980 First Place, Metalwork, California State Fair, for a silver teapot.
• 1982 I left for a 6-month solo bicycle tour of Europe that lasted 2 years, which included two semesters of guest study in Germany, where I worked on my granulation technique.
• 1984 After 12 years of metalsmithing, I find my niche. Now working exclusively in granulation, 18K gold, colored gemstones, and pursuing a serious career in jewelry. I begin to teach granulation workshops in schools across the country. Win 3rd place in first international competition, the Wilhelm Mueller Competition, in West Germany.
• 1988 I meet Lynn Arnold, a jewelry buyer in Big Sur, CA.
• 1990 Lynn becomes my wife and business partner. Together, we start opening new gallery accounts across the U.S., including Aspen, CO and Santa Fe, NM
• 1991 Our son, Forest, is born.
• 1993 Oakland, CA. Museum acquires three pieces for their permanent collection. Work on The Studio Collection, a series of limited edition work, is begun. Up to this point, all work was one-of-a-kind.
• 1994 Begin doing wholesale and retail trade shows and quality craft shows.
• 1996 Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian acquires Floating City for its permanent collection.
• 1999 The Raible family moves to Nevada City, CA, where we now reside.
Other Interests
• I love music, and have played guitar since 1967. African and Afro-cuban drumming are a more recent addition.
• Outdoor activities, especially cycling (road and mountain biking), hiking are my favorite ways to get exercise.
10 FAQs
• What is your price range?
Studio Collection smaller earrings, rings and pendants start at about $600.00, larger pieces can go up to $10,000.00 or more for necklaces. Masterworks range from $3,000.00 for one-of-a-kind rings up to 10’s of thousands for larger necklaces, and 100’s of thousands for larger major works.
• How do you pronounce your last name?
Rye-blee
• Where do you get your gold and stones?
I buy fine gold and precious metals from refiners. I have favorite suppliers for different gems, one for opal, one for pearls, for example. I also buy special stones from award-winning cutters/carvers like Glen Lehrer and Phil Youngman.
• Is your work guaranteed?
My work is designed to be comfortable, beautiful, and to last for generations. We will repair, free of charge, any problem that is not just due to normal wear and tear. Normal wear includes scratches on stones, dents in gold, or flattened granules. Covered problems (which rarely occur) would include loose stones, broken earring posts, pieces of gold falling off, or a broken wire on a hand-woven chain.
• Do granules ever fall off?
Yes, sometimes they do, and we will replace them free of charge if we can do so without harming the piece. Generally, a few missing granules don’t harm the look of the piece and often aren’t even noticed.
• How is the chain made?
A single strand of fine gold wire about 2’ long is fed in and out of itself in a spiraling loop pattern until the wire is used up. Another wire is soldered to the end, and the process continues until the desired length of chain is reached. The chain is pulled through a plastic draw plate to help even out the loops.
• Where do your ideas and inspirations come from?
That’s a hard one to answer. I am inspired by beauty wherever I find it- in nature, a gemstone, another person, a work of art in a museum. I tend to observe rather than study things, then absorb some quality that reemerges later in my work. It’s largely an unconscious process of assimilation, combined with intuition and years of experience in making and designing. I never try to emulate exactly any particular historical period or style, although there are traces of these throughout my work.
• How long does it take to make a piece?
Small Studio Collection pieces take from 3 to 5 hours, larger pieces with hand woven chains can take up to 50 hours. Masterworks take at least 12 hours for a small ring and up to 600 hours for a piece like Pregnant Chalice.
And, of course, don’t forget the 30+ years of experience.
• How many people work for you?
Right now about 5 part-time contractors, all of whom I have trained in my style of work. Some have been working with me for 8-10 years.
• How do I take care of my Raible piece?
Rings, because the stones get dirty faster, need to be washed often with warm water and a mild soap, scrubbed with a soft toothbrush, or you may use a home ultrasonic cleaner. Rinse well and pat dry with a soft absorbent cloth. Stones that have even slight soil on them will be less brilliant, so cleaning should be done regularly if the piece is worn often. Professional cleaning at a jeweler (ultrasonic and steam pressure cleaning) should be considered periodically. If you send your piece to us, we will clean it for only a shipping and handling charge.
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