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Jewelry 2
Expand upon fundamental jewelry making techniques and use them as a stepping stone to create more complicated pieces and designs in this weekly class. Many pieces of jewelry are simply a combination of refined, basic techniques taught in most introduction to jewelry courses. This class will teach you how to expand and leverage your basic metalsmithing skill set to the next level.
Topics covered will include intermediate to advanced soldering techniques, piercing and filing skill building, creating settings for stones or other objects, fabricating hollow forms and/or boxes, scoring and folding, and of course, surface-finishing techniques will be covered extensively. The instructor will also demonstrate tricks and shortcuts they've learned and taught themselves over many years of experience in the field. Students will be allowed to go at their own pace in a supportive and exploratory environment.
Start new pieces, bring in your unfinished projects for feedback, or simply focus on building up your skills through samples. Drawing and experimenting will also be encouraged and demonstrations will be utilized heavily throughout the course. Focusing on the techniques you wish to practice most will be the main focus of this course, with guidance, in order for you to become more confident in your skills as a metalsmith and jewelry designer.
Meet the instructor
Cristina Hurley was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She was strongly influenced by art and culture beginning at an early age by her parents, who were classical musicians. She was first introduced to metalsmithing when she attended a class in her senior year of high school. The instructor took Cristina on as an apprentice, which she did for 2 years. Cristina also attended Escuela de Artes Plasticas de San Juan during her apprenticeship, a visual arts university located in the heart of the old city in Puerto Rico. She successfully completed her freshman year there. When her mentor saw a strong natural talent, she suggested Cristina try to attend Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI. Cristina took the suggestion to apply, got accepted and made the big leap to move to New England in 1993. She graduated from the Jewelry Department there in 1996. After graduation she moved to New York and worked for a prestigious goldsmithing company, Reinstein/Ross, for six years, where she refined her technical skills making one of a kind pieces in high karat gold, platinum, and precious stones.
Cristina Moved to Massachusetts in 2002 with her family. She worked for various Jewelry companies and then had her own retail store in her hometown from 2010 to 2015. She currently works from her home studio designing and fabricating her own collection of sterling silver jewelry. She also works indepentantly for other various jewelry designers, assisting them in making one of a kind pieces and hand fabricated collections.
Cristina has been making jewelry for 25 years and continues to explore and refine her technique. She currently sells her collection of jewelry online and in stores around New England.
Materials & Tools
There is a $80 materials fee for this class that is payable upon registration. The materials kit includes large copper and brass sheet, copper wire, sterling silver sheet, several gauges of sterling silver wire, sterling silver bezel wire, fine silver bezel wire, CZs and a cabochon stone, and various tools needed to complete projects.
- writing utensil and notebook
- closed-toe shoes - required for all Metalwerx classes
- apron
- any hand tools you already own
- a box/container for in-progress projects/supplies
- snacks - if you get hungry! (Metalwerx has a fridge)