José Marin

Jewellery maker

©Geanpiero Agostinelli

©Jose Marin

A destiny in jewellery and gems

José creates titanium jewellery using a vast array of goldsmithing techniques
He compares his creative process to the art of cooking
He was mentored by several established Spanish jewellers before opening his workshop in 2006

José Marin’s journey with jewellery began with his father, a jeweller skilled in forging rings and creating French-style earrings and brooches. “I was always passionate about jewellery making. By the time I was 13, I was already combining daytime school with evening classes at the School of Jewellery run by the Valencia Jewellers' Guild,” José says. “After school, I would always go and play with my father's tools. He would give me simple tasks, such as cutting out little animal shapes from metal with the jeweller’s saw,” he explains. José shares that he never feels like he is 'going to work' when it comes to making jewellery. He has been working with titanium in his pieces since 2010, and describes himself as a titanium goldsmith. Today, he creates his own jewellery pieces with one goal in mind – bringing his ideas to life no matter the material or technique.

Interview

©Geanpiero Agostinelli

©Geanpiero Agostinelli

Were you trained by masters besides your father?: I was mentored by Pascual Aruñón. He specialised in fine filigree work and taught me how to make halo-style rings and earrings that feature a central ruby, sapphire or emerald surrounded by diamonds. I also learned how to make rivière-style bracelets and necklaces with rows of articulated gemstones.
What other techniques have you learned?: Antonio Rodríguez taught me how to work on heavier pieces and how to model in wax. I learned one of his specialities, pavé setting, which is placing round stones closely together like tapestry. All the holes for the stones are 'open-mouthed' – I add a decorative finish using the saw from the back of the piece.
How would you describe your jewellery?: My jewellery blends all elements – traditional techniques and materials with new technologies and modern substances. The most important thing to me is to bring ideas to life. To achieve that, I use every tool and resource at my disposal.
Does jewellery making share any attribute with another art form?: I am incredibly inspired by cooking. Both forms of art share colour harmony, textures, chemical reactions, physical properties of raw materials, fire, cutting and construction. They are very similar, but at the same time, completely different. Cooking is ephemeral, jewellery is not.

José Marin is a master artisan: he began his career in 1981 and he started teaching in 2014