I became fond of metalsmithing accidentally, during graduate school. It was a multidisciplinary program, and I initially set out to take ceramics courses, but it somehow worked out that all of my electives turned out to be metalsmithing and jewelry classes. I recall my surprise at how satisfying it was to fabricate, cast, carve and mold pieces into existence. All of the classes I took, however, were centered around working with Copper, Brass, and Bronze. I had yet to work with precious metals or precious/semi-precious stones.