Richard D. Austin held the position of Treasurer for the Society of North American Goldsmiths from 1987 until his death in 1990. He believed deeply in SNAG and its purpose and therefore fought hard behind the scenes. Although his work often went unnoticed, it made much of the difference in where SNAG is today financially.[1]
He earned a BS degree in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1959. Following four years in the Air Force, he worked for several companies primarily in new product development and management. After becoming a principal partner in the Delta Planning Group, Austin began working closely with Kerr Manufacturing in developing many of their investment materials and modeling equipment and materials we use today. He would give frequent seminars on model making and investment casting procedures around the country.
He was not only a jeweler, but a prolific writer. In 1977, he co-authored How to Design Jewelry with Iva Geisinger. In 1978, he wrote Model Making for Investment Casting, a book that still sells several thousand copies a year. He’s credited with 84 technical articles for Gems and Minerals alone and served as technical editor of Metalsmith magazine for several years until his death.[2]
In 1988, Austin sold his partnership so he could create jewelry full-time.