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Clasps, Closures, and Custom Findings
The possibilities for custom jewelry findings are endless! This comprehensive two-day workshop is for anyone interested in making their own findings for jewelry, from clasps to ear wires and beyond. With a wide variety of options for custom-made clasps, you’ll learn the basics of the box clasp, barrel clasp, hinged clasp, safety catch, and toggles, as well as how to attach clasps to chains. In the world of findings, we’ll create ear findings including French ear wires, hoops, marquise ear wires, and more. Joy will also give demonstrations and refreshers on riveting, cold connections, and commercial vs. handmade pinback findings.
Whether you’re looking to expand the overall aesthetic of your jewelry or save money from buying expensive pre-made findings, this workshop will give you some great solutions!
Please be advised: we typically close registration for our on-site workshops the Tuesday of the week before the class start-date.
Meet the instructor
Joy Raskin has been a silversmith since 1984 and has exhibits throughout the United States, Ireland and New Zealand, showcasing both her jewelry and flatware designs. Joy is a native of New Hampshire, having attended public schools in Manchester and Concord and was accepted as a member of the League of NH Craftsmen while still in high school. She received her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and her MFA from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Joy is an instructor at Metalwerx in Waltham, MA, The Craft Center in NH, Sharon Art Center, and many other schools.
Joy has received many awards for her work. She was commissioned by the NH State Council on the Arts to create the Cultural Access Award for the Governor’s Awards in the Arts in 2001. Her work is included in many collections, including the White House and Smithsonian Institution. Joy's work is found in multiple galleries throughout New England, including the League of NH Craftsmen Galleries, Boston Society of Arts & Crafts, Guilford Art Center, Millbrook Gallery, and others.
Materials & Tools
There is a $15 Lab Fee for this class to cover the cost of communal consumable studio supplies like solder, sandpaper, gas, etc.
There is a separate $25 - $60 Materials Kit fee that is payable directly to the instructor in class. The kit includes silver sheet (20ga and 24ga); wire (8ga - 22ga); as well as some fine silver bezel cups and small cabs (3mm - 8mm).
- Closed toed shoes - required in the Metalwerx studio
- Any beads, jewelry, components you want to make findings for and work with.
- Any wire or silver you already have and want to use.
- Any pliers you already have - make sure to mark them so you don't confuse them with other students' or Metalwerx's tools.
- Any pieces of jewelry you've made that you have questions about. This will be used to discuss and find new solutions for design problems
- Optivisors or magnifying glasses if needed.