Jewelry Focus: Building Big by Starting Small

Come join us in the studio to put your Jewelry skills to work making jewelry! The class will focus on the practical application of skills acquired through Jewelry 1 and Jewelry 2 level classes, with an emphasis on producing small-scale jewelry pieces that can be completed in a one to two lesson time frame.  The first several weeks' projects will include earrings that incorporate elements (links / hinged pieces / stones) that would also lend themselves to extended versions of the elements – for example as a bracelet or necklace; a stud earring might be a great study for a brooch or larger piece. Both hot and cold connections will be incorporated into the project line-up, and necessarily will include simple clasps/closures, and earring findings (post vs. earwire). 

We will draw on the skills currently in our arsenal, including stone setting, soldering, riveting, small-scale forging, and piercing, to develop comfort and proficiency.  We will also learn the benefits of a “production approach”, to better inform our future design and planning efforts. For the most part, the emphasis of the class is on honing skills acquired through the Jewelry 2 level, so the main “new skill” will be practical proficiency.   

Students can expect to create 4 to 5 pairs of earrings, and a larger piece – either bracelet, necklace, or brooch – that they will design, extrapolating from the small-project models they produce in the first weeks.