Hot Springs resident makes career from hobby

HOT SPRINGS – Hot Springs resident Gerry Waters has made a 30-year career out of making jewelry and carving minerals, having him touch some of the country’s biggest names in the jewelry industry.

Waters began his career in the late 1970s or early 80s. He got into the industry while he was in college at Boise State; he recalled seeing students with small stands or booths selling stuff and decided to get in on the concept. He started making jewelry out of spoons to sell and eventually ran into Mr. Jenson of Jenson jewelers who made him an offer that set his career on track.

“He took me under his wing and said ‘if you’ll follow me I’ll pay for your education’,” recalled Waters.

The company proceeded to teach the budding jeweler all the techniques for working various metals and gems. The company paid for an education in mineralogy and diamontology, providing him with a job at the same time. As time passed, Waters continued to learn everything he could about jewelry making before eventually opening a business of his own with a partner.

They opened a store before Waters broke away for a year to continue studying under a master gold smith; he recalled this apprenticeship format was the only way to get anywhere in jewelry making at the time and there were no schools beyond finding someone to teach you.

“You had to go find an old master to serve under,” Waters said. “You were the low guy on the totem pole as they say.”

He recalled a lot of his education in these apprenticeships was like a scene from a martial arts movie where the student seems to be doing menial labor, but is actually learning. He would be given some small task to complete without any real responsibility, but, when the opportunity presented itself, he would be called over to help the masters and learn by example.

Waters was involved in his apprenticeships for approximately one year. He said apprenticeships usually took six months to a year.

He went on to be a jewelry designer, working free-lance for Gordons, Zales, Kay, JC Penny and many of the other big name companies. This lasted for approximately 20 years before everything was getting too expensive to continue.

Waters came back west and opened shops wherever he went, traveling around and going to shows as the schedules permitted.

He eventually settled in Montana after a bad car wreck in a freak snowstorm left him seriously injured; it seemed like a sign it was time for him to step back some. Shows are still a draw and he still does his own projects, though; actively traveling is just not as common.

Waters is now considering retirement. He still wants to do one more big traveling show around Montana, though, and has some collection pieces he has been working on for years that he hopes to feature during the show.

“It’s my big final … let’s go for the gusto,” he said. “Let’s see if I can hang with the big boys.”

However, retirement leaves the question of who he will pass his knowledge on to. He is currently teaching some things to his daughter, grandkids and son-in-law, though the idea of taking on an apprentice of his own is being considered; if someone came to him, and was willing to dedicate the time, Waters said he would consider passing on what he knows.

Although, he also noted the education would be better in some ways than what modern jewelers are learning. Waters learned his trade before there were machines doing most of the work and can do things in a way that has been largely lost.

“If this machinery breaks down, they’ll stand there and look at you and go ‘I can’t do this, I can’t do that’,” he said. “I don’t own any of that, I cast from start to finish … theses are the tricks that we were taught from day one.”

According to Waters, the industry has plenty of room for someone to get into it and excel. He recalled how it could be a full-time workweek career for a dedicated jeweler and a person can maintain it for a lifetime if they want. It is also a job that can be done anywhere; he recalled there were times where he just set up a table at a park or somewhere and started giving out cards. Even if he did not sell anything during the day, he would still make a ton of money when people started calling him for repairs or custom jobs.

“That one show will produce you thousands of dollars before it’s over with, just from passing out cards,” Waters said.

It is clear how passionate the Hot Springs resident is about his craft; he eagerly talks about it and his love for the artform is clear. While he is stepping back from the professional level of everything it is something he plans to keep doing as long as he can, following the motto to go until he drops.

“I don’t think we ever really quit,” he said of jewelers. “We say we do, but ... there are a couple masters I’ve run into, guys older than me; yeah, they never quit. We say we’re going to but we never do; somehow, some way we always keep a finger in it.”