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Earring Palooza: Endless Possibilities for Earring Construction!
Learn to make and use a single focal component to then create unlimited types of earring options! In this two-day virtual workshop, Taylor will take students through the steps she uses to design and fabricate a negatively-pierced and layered earring component, as well as her best-practices to use when hand-finishing jewelry pieces. Taylor will then show how to transform the pierced component into a stud or post earring and varying types of dangle earring options using wire. Multiple hoop construction methods will be covered.
Meet the instructor
Taylor is a full-time metal smith and mother of 2 in St. Louis, MO. She began creating jewelry in 2003 as "The Rare Bird", transitioning from bead work, to wire work. She’s now a self-taught metal smith, building pieces by hand from precious metals, preserving organic flora in sterling silver using lost wax casting techniques, and setting gemstones. She has been featured in Step by Step Wire Jewelry Magazine, Easy Wire Magazine, and ArtJewelry Magazine.
Taylor is deeply inspired by flowers of all shapes and sizes - the emotions and feelings they convey in every leaf, curve of the stem, softness within the petals. She often incorporates their silhouettes or creates organic castings of actual plants to use in her work. Each piece is built one at a time, completely by hand, with its own story, originality, and attention to detail.
Taylor’s creativity is fueled by one of her favorite Psalms - “May God establish the work of my hands.” (Psalm 90:17)
Follow her processes on Instagram at www.Instagram.com/taylorsaleem.
Materials & Tools
The following supplies will be used for course demonstrations and objectives. A suggested item and/or vendor has been provided below for reference. Click the vendor name (in red) to be redirected to a page where you can find the item. The quantities needed for each item are listed first. If ordering, please be aware that some items may come in larger quantities than needed for this class. We recommend not opening an item's packaging until the day of the workshop. Student participation during or in-between class sessions is strongly encouraged but not required - observers are welcome.
Metal/raw materials:
- 6"x1" x sterling silver sheet - 24g (Rio Grande)
- 36" x sterling silver round wire - 20g (Rio Grande)
- 1 x oxidation agent - such as liver of sulfur (Rio Grande)
- bezel wire - optional
- cabochon stone - optional
- bead or chain strands - optional
Hand tools:
- 1 x round nose pliers (Rio Grande)
- 1 x chain nose pliers (Rio Grande)
- 1 x flat nose pliers (Rio Grande)
- 1 x snips / flush cutters (Rio Grande)
- 1 x jewelers saw (Rio Grande)
- 1 x pack saw blades - 3/0 and 4/0 (Rio Grande)
- 1 x burlife / bee's wax (Rio Grande)
- 1 x bench pin (Rio Grande)
- 1 x half round hand file - #2 cut (Rio Grande)
- 1 x rotary tool - flex shaft, etc. - optional (Rio Grande)
- 1 x set of needle files - #2 cut (Rio Grande)
- 1 x half round forming pliers (Rio Grande)
- 1 x center punch (Rio Grande)
- 1 x rawhide / plastic mallet (Rio Grande)
- 1 x chasing hammer (Rio Grande)
- 1 x steel block / steel surface (Rio Grande)
- 1 x sheet of sand paper - 220 to 600 grits (Rio Grande)
- 1 x sanding sticks (Rio Grande)
Torch setup:
- 1 x fireproof area - steel sheet, tiles, etc. (Amazon or Home Depot)
- 1 x Solderite™ pad / pan with pumice (Rio Grande or Rio Grande)
- 1 x torch - Smith mini, Silversmith, or butane (Rio Grande or Rio Grande)
- 1 x striker or lighter - Silversmith system has one (Rio Grande)
- 1 x soldering tweezers (Rio Grande)
- 1 x soldering pick (Rio Grande)
- 1 x cross lock tweezers (Rio Grande)
- 1 x paste flux (Rio Grande)
- 1 x copper tongs - for pickle (Rio Grande)
- 1 x 6” silver solder - medium (Rio Grande)
- 1 x pickle - sodium bisulfate or citric acid (Rio Grande or Amazon)
- 1 x brass bristle brush (Rio Grande)
- 1 x crock pot or lidded glass container (Rio Grande or Amazon)
- 1 x tempered glass container or sink - for quenching and rinsing
- 1 x small brush - for flux
- 1 x liquid hand soap - for cleaning metal
Other/miscellaneous items:
- hard work surface
- eye protection
- particulate mask
- fan / open window or ventilation