Through mentoring and novel designs, Oregon silversmith Amy Raymond enriches traditional cowboy craftsmanship.
Amy Raymond prefers to not be in the spotlight, but she does want her custom silver work to stand out on people in the Western industry. Working from her cozy shop on her husband Ryan’s fifth-generation family ranch in Helix, Oregon, Amy pushes the boundaries on traditional silversmithing, combining bright-cut engraving with contemporary designs.
“Bright-cut engraving is making the silver reflect the most amount of light. I take a big, sweeping wide cut and make three to four more in it,” she explains. “It’s really traditional and not a lot of people do it anymore because it’s hard and time consuming. I really try to do it in every aspect of my work. I’m taking traditional and moving it into modern jewelry.”
As her style evolves, Raymond believes in sharing her knowledge and making the learning curve less steep and reducing the barrier to entry for emerging silversmiths. She has held workshops at Pendleton Cattle Barons Weekend in Pendleton, Oregon, and Art of the Cowgirl in Phoenix, Arizona. She has also mentored silversmiths just as Jim Baltzor and Diane Scalese mentored her when she was starting out more than 16 years ago.
“I think it’s important to not only keep this trade alive; it could get lost and I don’t think it should,” she says. “I love teaching and hearing people’s ideas and seeing what it sparks in myself. I don’t think you can ever stop learning.”
For more on Raymond, visit https://www.raymondsilverco.com.
Find Raymond’s story in the March 2020 issue of Western Horseman
