How it all Began

In 1968, I created Sorcerer’s Apprentice (named after Goethe’s famous poem), the first artisan workshop that designed and made symbolic sterling silver jewelry, which we sold to head shops and boutiques from New England to Washington DC. We were based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Prior to that, in 1962, I had begun a 3-year apprenticeship program under a silversmith with roots in the Scandinavian mid-century modern style.

Sorcerer’s Apprentice (now Woodstock 1969 Silversmith) designs in the beginning were astrological, celestial, magical and Egyptian, all based on my love of ancient history, comparative religion and a fascination with symbols that began in grade school. No one else was doing this at the time, and it’s hard to believe that handcrafted jewelry would blossom in the next few years, with countless artisans learning the craft.

Soon, symbolic jewelry, based on Eastern religions and other alternative beliefs that had begun to be popular in the 60s, continued to grow in popularity and the New Age movement emerged throughout our culture in the early 1970s.

Drawing of a castle on a hill with trees, clouds, and a face in the sun. Text reads 'Sorcerer's Apprentice' and 'Unusual handcrafted embellishments for the mind and body.'

At the Workshop 1968-69

  • A man with glasses, a beard, and long hair inspecting a rubber jewelry mold.

    John Cali

    Founding Partner

  • A young woman injecting wax into a jewelry mold in a silversmith workshop.

    Chris Brenner

    Friend of the Cause

  • A man with long hair and a beard sitting cross-legged on the floor with his arms extended downward, in a black-and-white indoor setting.

    Ernie Whitworth

    Itinerant Artist

  • A man with long hair and a beard polishing a piece of silver jewelry in a silversmith workshop.

    Jim Scholl

    Mr. Dependable

Flyer announcing outdoor music event at Atlantic City Race Course, August 1-3, 1969, featuring contemporary pop artists, with a crowd illustration and a photo of a performer.

1969 was a Special Year

Our family was living communally on a PA farm that year and, along with many of our friends, had been attending concerts in New York (Fillmore East) and Philadelphia (Electric Factory); and when we found out about a Rock Festival in Atlantic City in early August, we decided to get a booth and exhibit our jewelry.

Janis Joplin’s manager stopped by the booth and bought one of our Ankhs for her. I later met her in the green room. I was leaning against the wall, watching the antics of Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, when Janis strolled in, replete with her bottle of Southern Comfort, and stopped to chat with me.

We also knew about the Woodstock Festival, and I contacted their office in New York to arrange to have a vendor booth. So, two weeks after the Atlantic City Rock Festival, we took off for Bethel, NY.

Black and white photo of the Sorcerer's Apprentice booth at the Woodstock 1969 festival with many people, cars, and tents, and a large banner or flag in the background.

When my business partner John and good friend Ned and I arrived at Woodstock, there was a rustic wooden booth awaiting us in the Bindy Bazaar, which was a vendor area set up in the woods that you see in the background of the above photograph. Not wanting to miss the action, we decided to set up outside the wooded area with our camper, which had an awning - so with that, and our Uhaul trailer we created a booth and put out our oriental rug, antique display cases and our sterling silver amulets and talismans.

While the sheer size of the festival amazed us, what I remember mostly, was the friendly, happy feeling of everyone we met – even with the bad weather! When it rained, we packed our small booth with as many people as we could to get them out of the rain.

A close-up of Sorcerer's Apprentice display case with a sign that reads 'Handwrought Silver'. Inside the case are various silver jewelry items.
A field of yellow flowers with black centers among tall green grass, with a faint white text overlay reading '3 days of peace & music'.

Cover of the original Woodstock program

3 Days of Peace & Music

The Hog Farm had a great set up and we were not far away from them, so we took advantage of the food they were serving, plus we had brought some of our own food, which we shared with new friends.

Being responsible hippie entrepreneurs, we did not partake of any of the acid that was readily available; but we did enjoy a smoke. Unlike at Atlantic City, we were able to see the stage and hear the music. I still remember waking up Sunday morning to Grace Slick and The Jefferson Airplane.

We did not sell a lot of our jewelry at Woodstock, but we didn’t care; it was an exhilarating experience. I still have the Woodstock program that was given to me as a vendor - I managed to keep it dry in the camper.

After Woodstock, we made our way down to Florida in late December 1969, for The Miami Rock Festival – the very last music festival of the 60’s.

What a year!

A man with long dark hair wearing sunglasses and a blue shirt, smiling outdoors.

Kenneth Richard Bray (way back when)