June June 2017
www.MoonValleyTattler.com
VOL 37 No. 6
The School of Rock - and Silversmithing B Y S U S A N M E R C E R H I N R I C H S , R E P O R T E R , T H E M O O N VA L L E Y TAT T L E R It all started when a young boy disobeyed the nuns at his Flagstaff school, landing him various sentences to that building’s basement as time-out punishment. While in that subterranean area, he was supposed to help out the school maintenance man and he says he did. But what he really learned there paved the way to an artisan skill that’s remained a passion of his to this day. Master silversmith Doug Duffy learned ancient silver-working skills from a fullblooded Navajo man, a master silversmith himself, who then worked as the school’s caretaker. The elder counselled Duffy about the importance of younger people’s passing on knowledge of this precious art to succeeding generations. The youngster took the words to heart. “I was a regular every-day cut-up,” Duffy says of the youthful behavior that subsequently opened his mind and hands to learn the precious metal’s pounding-, cutting- and solderingtechniques and stone selection necessary to produce the beautiful
Silversmithing with Doug Duffy Saturdays - SILVERSMITHING Open Studio Students who have completed a basic silversmithing class can work on their own projects from 9 a.m. to noon unless a class is scheduled. Supervised Open Studio at North Mountain Visitors Center Cost: $10 per hour
pieces of jewelry he creates to this day. Right now, he’s got about 10 to 12 personal projects in the works. “What the nuns really didn’t know was that the janitor was teaching me how to do silver work,” Duffy says with a grin, adding he “pretty regularly” was sent to the basement. “And it (silversmithing) just kept going from there,” Duffy, now 83, says. “I just fell into it and liked it.” “He taught me how to solder sterling-silver pieces together and make what we call bezels. The bezel is a piece of sterling silver that goes around a stone you’re using to make a piece of jewelry out of.” Once a bezel has been affixed around a stone and to a backing, it can be trimmed to produce the piece of jewelry its creator envisions. The stones can be of any type; some of Duffy’s favorites include turquoise and agate. He wore a stunning turquoise-and-silver traditional Navajo-style bracelet during this interview -- of course, a piece he created himself. After an honorable discharge from the United States Navy, the Arizona native returned home and later retired after 32 years working for what, through mergers and acquisitions, became Honeywell, now the French company known as Bull. Throughout his working career, silversmithing continued to remain foremost on his mind and retirement allowed him to “really take off” when it came to perfecting his delicate skill. “I read a lot of books and I watched a lot of videotapes, and I just really kept going on my own,” Duffy says of his preferred activity. He volunteered at the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum, then at the Arizona State Fairgrounds, during the 1980s, later becoming an employee tour guide. Augmenting his Left: Doug Duffy displays cases of silversmithing classes there, Duffy added jewelry he's created. lapidary courses, too. Below: Plaque showing the various Oh, yes, and while at the museum, jewelry-making steps he met a woman, Shirley Cote, then the museum’s assistant curator, who later became his wife. “Doug has made me jewelry in the past and he’s also taught me how to make (sterling-silver) ropes and silversmithing,” Cote says. Personally, “I like Rhodochrosite and I like Labradorite, because it has a shine to it.” The couple maintains a complete silversmithing workshop in their home; and Duffy’s loaned some of his personal equipment to the shop where he teaches classes at the North Mountain Visitor Center, 12950 ....Continued on page 3 N. Seventh St., in Moon Valley.