Today we’d like to introduce you to Jackie Truty.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I began creating in stained and fused glass as a hobby while working as an Operating Room Nurse. When I finally settled on fusing glass for jewelry full time in 1998, I began studying the mechanics of dichroic glass, researching its beginnings and ultimately writing a book, “Dichroics: Art Glass All Dressed Up.” published by Glass Press in 2002. Beginning to focus on small dichroic cabochons for jewelry, I added wire wrapping and lapidary arts to my skills as I searched for the perfect outlet for my creative expression.
In April, 2000, I saw a demonstration on Art Clay Silver, a relatively new product based on powdered metallurgy and capable of creating 99.9% fine silver jewelry without expensive tools and long years of metalsmithing experience, and I’ve never looked back. I flew to Long Island in November to become a Senior Certified Instructor with Aida Chemical Industries, its manufacturer. In 2001, I accepted the position of Director of Education for Art Clay USA. In November of 2002, when I was told that Japan (which was running the Art Clay USA offices from Torrence, California) was going to close the North American offices for economic reasons, I discussed the situation with my husband and we purchased the rights as North American distributor of Art Clay products. My subsequent books, “Art Clay Silver and Gold:18 Projects to Make in One Day,” and “Metal Clay: The Complete Guide,” 2005 by Northlight Publications, are sold internationally in English and French. I have been fortunate to have taught in places as varied as Japan, Milan, and Johannesburg, as well as throughout the United States and Canada. In 2013, after working for 2 and a half years on evenings and weekends, I finally received my Graduate Gemologist degree from GIA.
In 2008, when the economy took a downturn, I made the decision to diversify our product line. We purchased a laser printer and began producing our exclusive line of stamps and low relief texture plates. We also had trademarked a line of flexible silicone molds which we continue to manufacture under the name, “fleximolds.” Now, our line continues to flourish, with over 5,000 specialty products for all kinds of clays, not just metal clay. In 2011 Art Clay World USA created a DBA as an educational arm, the Greater Chicago Artisan Center, which focuses on instruction in nearly a dozen media, including metal clay, fused and stained glass, ceramics, resins, polymer clays, and others.
My passion continues to be teaching jewelry making using metal clays and preparing my daughter and her husband to take over Art Clay World, USA when I retire. My mission is, and has been to empower women through the use of metal clay and I am determined to provide an opportunity for women to establish a place for themselves in the high-end jewelry art arena with a minimum investment and a maximum return both financially and creatively.
Has it been a smooth road?
My initial struggle began as a woman entering the Japanese Business world. It took some time before they would accept my independent thought and belief that you couldn’t run the US market as though it were in Japan. Next would be in 2008 when the economy took a downturn (which resulted in the decrease of disposable income). Worse would come in 2011, when the price of silver jumped to $43/oz. for a brief time. By that time. metal clay in copper form had been created by Aida Chemical Industries and other companies at a fraction of the cost of silver clay, swiftly followed by bronze metal clay (copper and zinc). Hobbyists, creating jewelry for themselves and as gifts, abandoned silver clay like rats fleeing a sinking ship. Sales took a nosedive and Art Clay World struggled to remain afloat. The creation of the Greater Chicago Artisan Center helped bring Art Clay World to the local community, but it also gave us the opportunity to expand to include beading and crystals.
We have always been the smaller of the two major silver clay brands, the other being Precious Metal Clay, manufactured by Mitsubishi Materials Corp. PMC arrived in the US a year and a half before Art Clay did, and we have been trying to play catch-up ever since. Rio Grande, a giant in the jewelry supply industry, is the major seller of PMC and they have the deep pockets for advertising that Art Clay World has never had.
Our largest struggle continues to be doing business in Cook County, Illinois. Our property taxes are horrendously high, and we spend a good deal of time selling at trade shows outside of Illinois.
So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Art Clay World USA story. Tell us more about the business.
Officially, we are one of 2 North American Distributors for Art Clay brand products. This includes Art Clay Silver and Copper. We also manufacture our own, food safe silicone molds, our own stamps and low relief texture plates. We also have an educational certification program, which has produced more than 3500 certified Art Clay instructors throughout the US and Canada. A significant number of them teach others, and many teach as a full-time job. Art Clay World USA is known for its sincere investment in our instructors, with deep discounts for certification. We hold Instructor Intensives yearly, which afford instructors the opportunity to refine their skills and learn reinforce their metal clay techniques.
I’m most proud of Art Clay World USA for its relationship with our instructors and customers. We appreciate our customers and provide continuing communication for them so they will be successful in using our product. This customer service also sets us apart from others. We sell our products on Amazon.com and receive many positive feedback comments. We are also vocal, as metal clay distributors, about metal clay and its importance in the jewelry making community. I am active on Facebook and have my own blog about my thoughts on metal clay. I have spoken out about the need for consolidation of metal clay manufacturers and unity in setting standards.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think that in the next 5-10 years metal clay will either succeed and win its place as a viable medium in jewelry making, or it will fade into the status of hobby. Because base metal clays are relatively easy and inexpensive to make, there are a plethora of brands, sizes, colors, powders and ready-made clay in copper, bronze, steel, iron and brass. However, there is no oversight, as there is in many other industries, so it is not unusual for success in a finished product to be 60% or less. We are trying very hard to explain to the general public and metal artists in particular the value and efficiency of silver clay over the base metal clays. I have always thought that silver clay was the best and continues to be the best choice for precious metal jewelry. The misinformation that it is too expensive to use, compared to traditional fabrication has had a detrimental effect on sales, and we are constantly trying to correct this misperception and bring back some of the artists who left silver clay for copper or bronze when silver prices were higher.
You are seeing more metal clay in juried art shows and high-end craft shows. After 15 years of experience, the look of finished metal clay has improved to the point that it rivals cast and mechanically produced jewelry.
Contact Info:
- Address: Art Clay World USA, Inc.
4535 Southwest Highway
Oak Lawn, IL. 60453 - Phone: 866-381-0100
- Website: www.artclayworld.com
- Email: jackie@artclayworld.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/artclayworld, www.facebook.com/jackietruty
- Other: https://jackietrutydesigns.com/
Image Credit:
Shelterbox
10th Anniversary staff credit is Mr. Aida, Jackie and Tom Truty, Katie Baum, Daisuke Minagawa, and various Art Clay Master and Senior Instructors
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
