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No Solder Chain Making
This live, virtual workshop will teach student how to transform old pliers and tweezers into practical chain making tools that will then be used to make unique, no-solder chains. Students will also discover tricks to pull and anneal thin wire, how to twist wires together to create a textured affect, and much more. Five different chain styles will be covered throughout the workshop - double S, Kona, double Kona, twist, and Yao. Demonstrations and practice will first utilize thick electrical wire before moving on to thinner wire, to allow for easier visualization of these wire working techniques.
This course will consist of two sessions. There will be a no-class day between each session.
Class will be held live via Zoom during the designated time frame. A link to the Zoom room will be sent via email.
Each session will be recorded and you will receive a password protected link to the recordings that expire after 30 days.
Please read the Materials & Tools tab!
Meet the instructor
Matthieu moved from Paris to New-Mexico when he was 19, where for seven years he studied Navajo, Hopi and Zuni jewelry techniques. He was immediately drawn to stamping, making concho belts and bracelets. He then moved to Mali, West-Africa and worked for a few years with the Fulani, Tuareg and Bambara jewelers.
In 1999, Matthieu settled in Montreal Canada and continued his studies by going to a jewelry school and learning a more classical part of the trade. Over the years, Matthieu has returned to Africa regularly.
In 2014, Tim McCreight and Mattheiu Cheminee created the Toolbox Initiative, a non-profit organization that helps jewelers in West Africa through the gifts of donated tools.
“I have been stamping and making stamps since the beginning and have developed a form of stamping design by creating patterns that fill the entire piece of metal. This is called “tessellation”.
Matthieu has written two books, “Legacy, jewelry techniques of West Africa“ and “The Art of Stamping”, both published at Brynmorgen Press.
Visit Matthieu's website or instagram page for more info on his work.
Materials & Tools
Students will need to have the following materials in preparation for this online workshop. If you do not already have them, a suggested item and/or a vendor from which you can purchase these items has been provided below. Click the vendor name (in red) to be redirected to a page where you can find or choose the item. The quantities you need for each item are listed first. Please be aware that some items may come in larger quantities than needed for this class. Please order these materials as soon as possible due to longer than usual turn-around times. We recommend not opening the item packaging until the day of the workshop.
- 12ft x fine silver wire - 28g (Rio Grande)
- 18ft x sterling silver wire - 22g (Rio Grande)
- 3ft x electric wire - 14/2 - (Home Depot or other such store)
- 1 x wire cutters (Rio Grande)
- 1 x round nose pliers - used is best (Rio Grande)
- 1 x steel tweezers - used is best (Rio Grande)
- 1 x jewelers saw (Rio Grande)
- 1 x pack saw blades - 3/0 (Rio Grande)
- 1 x wire wrapping mandrels (Rio Grande)
- 1 x 3mm rod - can be a nail, steel/brass/silver wire, etc.
- 1 x bench pin (Rio Grande)
- 1 x optivisor (Rio Grande)
- 1 x 12"x4" piece of wood
- 1 x 4"x1" piece of wood
You will also want to have the following common studio items available:
- hard/stable work surface
- safety glasses
- needle files
- ruler
- fine point permanent marker
- torch setup - if you wish to anneal - not required
- fire proof work area - if you wish to anneal - not required