Ganoksin: Knowledge is There to be Shared

There are two camps among goldsmiths: On the one hand we have those who on no accounts want to pass on their knowledge. They have experimented for years and labariously gathered their experience. They are particularly reluctant to share knowledge with colleagues, especially if the independent design was based on a certain processing technique. They do not want to encourage copycats. Other goldsmiths are of the opinion that work will be easier for everyone if you pass on tips and tricks. A contemporary option is to pool information on the internet; and this is precisely what the website Ganoksin provides specifically for goldsmiths.

The site was created by Dr. E. Aspler, known as "Hanuman", in Thailand. Shortly thereafter, Professor Charles Lewton-Brain from the Canadian prairie metropolis Calgary entered into collaboration with Hanuman and provided the knowledge he had written down. The English-language website deals with the fields of gold and silversmith work and gemology. There are now numerous categories. The section "Library - tips from the jeweler's bench" contains articles by renowned specialist journalists, professors and experienced goldsmiths. The "Orchid forum" is a discussion group with 6,500 members. It is used by the participants to share knowledge concerning tools and their handling and also sales tips and to provide tips for training and teaching. Every day, the team around Hanuman takes this knowledge pool and filters out articles that are sent out to the Orchid members by e-mail. All articles can be accessed in the "Orchid archive". The "video library" is a growing collection of videos showing goldsmithing and silversmithing techniques.

The key word "galleries" provides links to art and jewelry galleries. The "Ganoksin online gallery" is freely accessible to everyone. Digital images can be sent to Ganoksin together with a statement on the work and the person submitting the images. "The jewelers selected bibliography list" is a collection of books recommended by goldsmiths. "MetaCalc" is a calculator specialized in goldsmithing tasks. The 700 listings in the "Industry trade index" are checked carefully. This is where surfers can find manufacturers, schools, galleries, museums and service providers. Ganoksin currently has 500,000 monthly visitors.

www.ganoksin.com