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Jewelry 2

If you have already learned the basics of jewelry and metalsmithing and want to take your skills and knowledge to the next level, then this is the class for you! Students will build upon the basic techniques they were taught in Jewelry 1 to create more complicated and advanced pieces.

Learn advanced soldering techniques, trickier cold connections, and strategies to design and produce more successful jewelry. We will set stones, fabricate hollow forms, and much more! The science of metallurgy will also be expanded upon.  Students will discover why metal behaves the way it does, so that they can manipulate it more effectively.

Following technical demonstrations, participants will design their own projects.  There will be guidance and support along the way, of course, but students will be able to focus on making jewelry that uses the techniques that interest them most.

Meet the instructor

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William Vanaria is a Massachusetts based artist with a penchant for oddball materials. His work utilizes traditional metalsmithing techniques and a wide verity of non-traditional materials to produce jewelry which both questions and comments on notions of romanticism, value, fakery, and the hierarchy of materials present within modern day consumer culture. Through his work he pushes for a broader system of value which has been formulated though experience, consideration, and critical thinking.

William received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design with a concentration in "Jewelry & Metalsmithing" in 2012. Afterwards, he spent time working within the jewelry industry and volunteering as a teacher's assistant for various art institutions. He found that the latter was much more fulfilling, so he went on to further his education within the arts and to pursue a career in teaching. William received his Masters of Fine Arts degree from the University of Massachusetts: Dartmouth in 2016; once again with a concentration in "Jewelry & Metalsmithing."

Materials & Tools

There is a $65 materials fee for this course, which is payable upon registration, and includes sterling silver sheet metal, various gauges of sterling wire and square stock, sterling tubing, 6 faceted cubic zirconia and accabochon stone.

Students should bring
  • Notebook/sketchbook & writing utensil
  • Very fine tip marker
  • OPTIONAL: Round faceted stones of your choosing, 3mm in diameter
  • OPTIONAL: Cabochons of your choosing. Aim for ones that are an oval or a circle.
  • OPTIONAL: Irregular or odd stones which the students would like to try prong setting. (Preferably one with a flat back.)
 

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