Our V.I.P. Featured Guest Sharon Berman is the founder and host of the podcast “The Jewelry Journey.”
She has always liked jewelry, but Sharon’s interest heated up after she attended a jewelry conference about 10 years ago. She listened with rapt attention, but thought there were a lot more people who would be interested but who didn’t have access or time to explore jewelry in depth. That served as the basis for Sharon starting the her podcast, The Jewelry Journey.
All these years later, and well over 200 podcasts later, people still want to hear what keep the makers going after years and years, and what brings in new makers to this particular art form. Where did they get their inspiration? How do they keep doing over the long term? What have they learned and how have they grown in this art? The podcast is not about hammering and forging; there are many sources to go if you want to learn a new technique. Her podcast is about the person holding the hammer…and behind the forge.
Why a podcast format rather than other media? Sharon chose the podcast because it’s easily accessible to people who aren’t tied to their computers. They can listen anytime they want—when they are they doing the dishes, or walking (and even some who admit to listening to The Jewelry Journey at work). This is a visit from inside the maker’s mind to inside the listener’s mind without any visual distractions, with Sharon as the tour leader. One of the more unusual aspects of The Jewel Journey is that the interviews are transcribed and posted with the show notes. This helps to give wider access to the maker’s content and thoughts in a searchable format.
One of Sharon’s passions is traveling. Her travels allow Sharon to come across makers who would not normally be exposed to listeners who tune into podcasts, much less have access to the world marketplace, so Sharon’s listeners get to travel with Sharon as she meets interesting makers around the world. The Jewelry Journey podcast has featured makers from U.S., Austria, Estonia, France, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Iceland, England, Germany, Argentina and other countries.
Sometimes the best making is making new inroads to bring new art voices to the world. That’s just what The Jewelry Journey does on a regular basis.
