Learn the art of goldsmithing from alloying to fabrication. This workshop is designed for people who have a firm grasp on silver soldering and fabricating and want to explore the option of working with gold. Students will start with learning the steps to alloy their own gold, then use ingot molds to pour molten gold, form it into sheet or wire, and use the material to fabricate small projects.

This class will focus on creating three-dimensional plique a jour objects. Using fine silver wire and eutectic (IT) solder, students will fabricate a framework. The enamels will then be suspended in the openings of the filigree, and fired without a backing, the physics of surface tension holding the molten glass in place. Emphasis will be on developing a personal aesthetic while learning to design expressively within the technical demands of this exciting technique.

Take your ring making skills and designs to new heights. In this workshop participants will fabricate a completely unique, dimensional, cage-like ring with surface ornamentation of fused, sterling, wire granulation. The ring project’s concept lends itself  to both organic and geometric design styles. These rings can then be further embellished in numerous ways on the inside or outside of the structures using techniques such as keum boo, stone setting, or pigmented resins. Students must have beginning jewelry skills and know how to solder with a torch.

Wire working is a fluid and meditative process. In this one-day workshop, Dan will provide an overview of fundamental patterns and methods for suspending stones, crystals and found objects in metal. No need for a torch, soldering or metal fabrication experience; just your two hands and a pair of pliers! All experience levels are welcome. 

Come to understand a variety of stone-setting concepts including innovative bezel, prong, flush, graver, and gypsy settings. Students will make a series of samples to create a handmade library of skills that can be utilized in future designs.

Explore how to make volume and dimension from sheet metal and wire using simple folding, forming, and soldering techniques. Paulette will demonstrate how to develop paper patterns that can then be translated onto metal forms to make structures and shapes that can be incorporated into brooches, neckpieces or rings. Attention will also be paid to how students can add color, texture and pattern to their designs for added visual interest. Take advantage of Argentium’s fusing properties to design flat forms and then manipulate them into lightweight and dynamic showstoppers. 

Hone fabrication skills and make a custom spoon. Joy will show various hammer textures that can be added to give character to flatware. Each student will complete a spoon in silver or base metal.

This one-day workshop shows students of any skill level how to make series of silver, stackable rings. Learn basic soldering, stone setting, texturing, and stamping to enhance each band for a one-of-a-kind look.

Handmade felt is created by taking cleaned and carded wool fleece and manipulating the fibers to link together. Students will create a number of wet-felted beads, flowers, and lariats, which will then be decorated and made into jewelry during class.

Using hammers, chasing tools, and pitch, learn to create interesting textures, patterns, unusual shapes, and realistic images.

Pursue individual projects with questions answered by a professional jeweler. Finish up work hiding in your bench and get advice on new pieces. This class is loaded with great bench tips to guide students through projects with success.

Build upon the basic techniques covered in Jewelry 1 to open up design possibilities and create more complex pieces.  Discover some advanced soldering techniques, trickier cold connections, and strategies to design and produce jewelry. Students will set stones, fabricate hollow forms, and more!

Once basic metalsmithing techniques and skills are learned for creating jewelry, a desire to expand on those skills is probably the first feeling a student will experience! If you have experienced this feeling, this is going to be a perfect class for you. One of the most important things a student should do after learning basic metalsmithing skills is to practice them as much as possible, and you will get the opportunity to do just that. You will also get to elaborate on those same basic techniques and use them as a stepping stone to create more complicated pieces and designs.

This introductory course focuses on developing fundamental hand skills, good studio habits, and an appreciation for quality craftsmanship. Students will learn essential fabrication techniques by designing and producing unique, handcrafted jewelry.

This weekly class presents students with the fundamentals of jewelry and metalsmithing skills. Among the many techniques we will cover, students will learn how to effectively shape, join, polish, texture, and patina metal. 

 Explore, create, and innovate, while learning how to harness the design and form possibilities of the hydraulic press using tools that you make yourself.

Forging is an ancient art of controlled hammering to change the shape of wire or thick sheet metal into certain shapes and patterns. Students will learn to transform wire into sculptural forms that can be used for jewelry, sculpture or holloware.

The rolling mill is one of the most important tools in a jewelry studio, but do you really know how to maximize its potential? This workshop will help solve that dilemma. Technical topics will include: What different kinds of rolling mills are available, rolling mill care and maintenance, forging with the rolling mill, successful milling of sheet and wire ingots, texturing with the rolling mill and more.

Coming soon!

This workshop teaches the Hoodoo Hex weave (by Blaise Hartley) and the related Dragog weave, also known as Japanese Hoodoo (by Barb Gujic), through the construction of a Hoodoo Hex bracelet and a pair of Dragog chain earrings in sterling silver.  Each kit will contain enough supplies to make 1 pair of earrings and a bracelet approximately 8” in length.  Students will also receive a color handout documenting each step of the process so that they can recreate these designs at home.  Additional information on widening the Hoodoo Hex weave, connecting the ends of the Hoodoo Hex weave to form ri

Resin Inlay is a great way to add absolutely any color you can think of to your jewelry! This workshop covers the entire process of adding resin to a fabricated design that students create during class.

Coming soon!

When you think about it, the standard ring is a very simple form: a squat tube or a torus. Typically, we make these rings out of precious materials such as gold, silver, platinum, and so on. But what if you could make them out of other materials such as plastic or even wood? In this one-day workshop, we will bring this exciting prospect to life! Students will utilize a few very simple hand tools to create finished, wearable rings out of what most would consider to be strictly non-jewelry materials.

Coming soon!