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    Cooke.marque earrings
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    Cooke.heart earrings
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    Filigree ring by Carly Cooke with Rio Grande logo
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    Cooke.filigree necklace

Handmade Filigree Jewelry

Learn the beautiful and unique art of Russian filigree by designing and creating a ring, pendant, or earrings from start to finish in sterling and fine silver. On day one students will make their own fine silver filigree wire, as well as a sterling silver “frame” to capture the wires. On day two and three we will twist, shape, and solder your wires into the frame using clever techniques to create an impressively lacey piece of wearable art. Students may focus on one project or create multiple smaller filigree components. Take this technique back to your bench to create earrings, bracelets, pendants, and accents to any pieces that need a bit of added fanciness! Previous experience with sawing, filing, and silver soldering required.

This class is sponsored by Rio Grande and a limited number of scholarships are available. Apply now!

Meet the instructor

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Carly Cooke is a jewelry designer and instructor based in southern Maine. After learning the basics of fabrication and repair as a bench jeweler, she spent an inspiring year in Florence, Italy, taking classes in gemology, wax carving, rendering, and stone setting. Many of the unique engraved finishes and detail techniques Carly uses in her designs were passed down from the expert hands of jewelers working in the traditional Italian metalsmithing style. As the owner and operator of Flux Jewelry Studio, Carly spends hours twisting fine wires, forming small beads of metal, and engraving each piece. Old world techniques, antique design inspiration, and a fresh take on classic concepts are Flux specialities.

Materials & Tools

There is a $70 materials fee for this workshop that is payable upon registration. The materials kit includes two feet of sterling silver square wire (14g), powdered filigree solder, fine point tweezers, 10 feet of fine silver wire (24g), round/flat nose looping pliers, paintbrush, ruler, container, hard/medium/easy silver solder, sandpaper, abrasive wheels. 

Students should bring
  • studio apron

  • studio towel

  • notebook or sketchpad

  • pen or pencil

  • closed-toe shoes - required in the Metalwerx studio

  • lunch - Metalwerx has a fridge, toaster oven, and microwave

 

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