We’re joined by the brilliant jewellery conservator Bill Hawkes for a dazzling episode about the history of gems, the usefulness of pretty stones, and the intriguing secrets of the jewellery industry. Also tune in for an interview with geological conservator Kate Andrew about the hidden dangers of rock samples and why you should never bin an old label!
01:43 What are minerals?
03:00 Uses of gemstones – light, fading, and lasers!
06:14 Famous diamonds and their history
10:38 Cutting gemstones now and in the past
14:09 More gemstone chemistry
26:27 Hardness vs toughness
33:05 How do you identify gemstones?
41:41 How mucky jewellery gets and cleaning strategies
46:59 What to do if you don’t know what you’ve got
48:43 Pigments and other uses of minerals
52:22 Organic gemstones
56:35 Interview with Kate Andrew
We have a gentle (but also angry) chat about the cost of living crisis, the impact on society, and how it affects us as conservators: both as self-employed people and as museum workers. Jenny also talks to Sharon Heal from the Museums Association, and Kloe reviews ‘Low Cost/No Cost Tips for Sustainability in Cultural Heritage’ by Lorraine Finch.
01:57 Why are we NOT talking about this?
04:11 Jenny’s lived experience of poverty
08:09 Why this is happening
11:01 Energy usage and greener thinking
13:10 Relief schemes, price caps and the impact on us
18:50 Interview with Sharon Heal
33:32 Some useful resources
43:59 Review: Low Cost/No Cost Tips for Sustainability in Cultural Heritage
Together with Beth Gillions we put on our best confidence clothes and talk about job interviews: what it’s like asking the questions, what do you do when you forget everything about yourself, and what are the practical assessments like for job seeking conservators? We share our top tips and some great advice from our followers on Twitter too!
00:02:10 Kloe and Jenny’s experiences of being on interview panels
00:05:37 “Is there anything you’d like to ask us?”
00:08:34 Everything we hate about interviews
00:10:47 How do you deal with nerves beforehand?
00:20:16 Being on the other side of the table
00:23:26 Typical questions you might come across
00:28:21 Getting the questions in advance
00:34:03 What do you do when your mind goes blank?
00:37:24 Different types of interviews
00:54:27 What to do after the interview
00:58:06 Asking for feedback
01:00:33 Our final top tips
01:02:34 Comments, questions and corrections
01:06:39 Patreon shout out
Come along on a roadtrip to the Isle of Man with Jenny and Kloe! We take the ferry across the water, stay in an eco-friendly yurt village, and tour the island’s heritage sites: we go behind the scenes with the Manx National Heritage conservators and enjoy the local sites. Special thanks to Chris Weeks and Emma Le Cornu for inviting us over! (Varied audio quality ahead, folks.)
00:00:55 Exploring the ferry and eating waffles on deck
00:02:13 Arriving in the eco village
00:04:50 Breakfast time!
00:05:31 Manx Museum
00:14:52 They found us!
00:23:30 Climate change
00:24:57 Sites to see on the island
00:29:24 Back in the conservation studio
00:48:26 Meeting Peggy
01:00:15 Snooping around the museum store
01:05:35 Exploring the archival side
01:14:00 Jenny spots a mysterious box
01:17:25 Peeking in the textiles store
01:18:57 Castletown in the rain
01:21:15 Cregneash village
01:25:00 Day out in Peel with Emma
01:29:27 Summing up our Saturday by the fire
01:30:35 Checking out
01:32:13 Laxey, big wheels and going under ground
01:39:47 Grove Museum of Victorian Life
01:50:38 Afternoon tea in Bride and a failed beach visit
01:53:39 Milntown Estate and Gardens
02:02:13 Back to the ferry
We’re joined by Tom Hopkins and Louise McAward-White from Fair Museum Jobs as we grab the imaginary tin opener and get into one of our favourite cans of worms: zero hour contracts! We unpick what they are, how they’re used in the heritage sector, why they’re problematic, and how we can do better.
00:01:33 What is exactly is a zero hours contract?
00:11:00 Examples of when they’re used
00:16:27 Which precarity is easier to manage?
00:18:48 The toll of constant job hopping on people
00:26:11 Conservation examples of ‘casual’ contracts
00:37:31 The advert that sparked this whole episode
00:50:25 Join your union!
00:55:47 How we can influence things for the better
00:57:21 Feedback from Icon and what professional bodies can do
01:06:03 Kloe’s fury
01:09:12 Patreon shout-out
Join us for our triennial Icon conference special: an all online experience this time! Jenny tries to get into the spirit with croissants and rubbish coffee while Kloe is enjoying being able to multitask and dyeing fabrics while listening in. Also tune in for some impressions from the recent AIC conference.
04:32 Reaching out for recognition as a theme
08:50 Conference prices in the sector
10:17 Kloe is confused by tech
12:46 Catching up at the end of day one
17:12 Gearing up for day two
21:54 The unexpected blessing of being alone
22:31 Barely having time to eat lunch – a conference classic!
24:21 Round-up at end of day two
29:57 Feedback systems and our niggles
36:18 AIC conference interviews
45:56 Patreon shout out
Together with special guest host Bill Hawkes we continue the topic of shiny things: metals! This time dealing with small objects and shiny trinkets. Kloe talks to Dr Eric Nordgren about archaeological metals, and Jenny reviews ‘Histories of Conservation and Art History in Modern Europe’ as well.
00:01:27 From jewellery shops to the conservation workbench
00:05:20 Towards a sustainable alternative to silver dips
00:10:08 Values around tarnished surfaces
00:17:59 Advancements in modern metallurgy
00:22:03 The tricky nature of surfaces
00:27:08 The beauty of corrosion
00:30:11 From boring to fascinating to dangerous metals
00:36:28 Gemstones galore
00:40:22 Repair methods
00:44:55 Quills, thorns, feathers, and the common cocktail stick!
00:47:05 Interview with Dr Eric Nordgren
01:02:17 Review: Histories of Conservation and Art History in Modern Europe
Together with special guest hosts Claire Fry and Lorraine Finch we take a walk on the private practice side of conservation: what’s it like starting and running a business? Kloe has a zillion questions as Jenny airs her insecurities as a new business owner, while Claire and Lorraine share their entrepreneurial insights with us all. From networking to number crunching, we cover a lot of ground in this one!
00:01:50 How many conservators are self-employed?
00:07:04 The value of business support
00:14:24 Support structures: financial and emotional
00:18:36 You make the rules – and ALL the decisions
00:22:02 Insurance, cash flow, and pensions
00:28:12 Taxes and the joys of accountancy
00:32:48 Getting your name out there
00:40:05 Estimates don’t last forever
00:42:33 Value your work, expertise, and time
00:47:22 Working with others
00:54:31 What’s the best thing about running a business?
00:55:17 Quick addendum
We’re joined by special guest host and public engagement champion Clare Lawlor as we talk about learning in museums and at heritage sites. How do we talk to kids about difficult topics? What kind of learning spaces do we have access to? And what kind of magic happens when conservators and learning colleagues work together? Also tune in for a review of ‘The Conservation of Medieval Polychrome Wood Sculpture’ and an interview with Jessica England from GEM.
02:10 Definitions and the importance of young visitors
09:13 Jenny’s little museum shop anecdote
11:46 Making learning visible
13:51 Talking to kids about heavy topics
20:22 Working with conservation on new galleries
28:51 Learning spaces
40:22 Kloe and Jenny’s experiences of working with learning teams
47:47 Interview with Jessica England
51:29 Review: The Conservation of Medieval Polychrome Wood Sculpture
Together with special guest hosts Dr David Leigh and Dr Isobel Griffin we delve into the world of conservation standards: what are they, how do they come into being, and how are we using them? Kloe also talks to Jane Henderson about the importance of having many voices in the room and when people might start waving pitchforks around, and Jenny reviews ‘Greener Solvents in Conservation.’
00:03:01 Standards in day-to-day life as well as conservation
00:07:47 The birth of a standard
00:15:04 Reviews and the implications
00:17:53 Standards in the pipeline
00:23:03 Diversity in decision making
00:29:18 How to access standards for FREE
00:33:59 Professional standards or codes of practice vs established standards
00:36:29 The bewildering array of information in the world
00:42:45 Come contribute!
00:43:02 Interview with Jane Henderson
00:58:45 Review: Greener Solvents in Conservation – An Introductory Guide
01:03:58 Patreon shout-out