This course is about pearls and all you need to know about nature's fantastic beauties — how to buy, care for, knot, and terminate the ends of necklaces — with pearl expert Mary Stachura.

Fabricate a pouring vessel such as a teapot, oilcan, cup, creamer, watering can, etc. Constructing vessels is a faster way to start than using only traditional raising (hammering) techniques.  Additionally, when a hollow form is constructed using tabs, the soldered seams are much stronger and the form can then be manipulated and decorated with hammers to add character! This workshop will be a study in the fabrication and utilization of three forms; tabbed cylinder, truncated cone and a long hollow taper. These forms, once constructed will be combined to form a pouring vessel. 

Learn how to fuse steel and gold to create dramatic mixed metals jewelry! Techniques covered include how to work with mild (cold rolled) steel, and fabrication methods required to create jewelry from steel including sourcing, cutting, forming, texturing, adding Keum Boo, patinating and sealing. 

This is a fantastic opportunity to gain a working knowledge of chasing through detailed demonstrations, experimentation and different assignments. This class will equip students to further explore chasing with confidence and to fluidly express their own aesthetics through chasing. Liza teaches, lectures, and exhibits her chased works nationally, and is the creator of Nechamkin Chasing Tools™. She is a highly skilled and accomplished chaser, specializing in the creation of custom silver pieces that are rich with highly ornamental chasing and repousse designs.

This class will allow students with beginner skills to work on projects that they have started and/or imagined.  It is perfect for perfect for students who have explored jewelry and metals in another class or workshop, and wish to receive further instruction to develop new techniques and expand on their existing knowledge. Over three days, students will learn about basic hinges to create movement, box construction (for jewelry or small objects), and alternative setting techniques.  

Jump into this three day class for a fun exploration of all things ring! Combine fabrication techniques in gold and silver, argentium fusion, embossing, direct casting, creative use of scrap and more to create one-of-a-kind rings. Add value and color to your jewelry by adding a touch of gold to a silver piece. This class not only combines gold and silver, but also classical techniques with practical shortcuts for making work efficiently. From elegant to funky, we will look at ways to make rings that are unique to your taste. 

This course will help students advance stone setting skills with hands-on experience and knowledge from an expert in the jewelry industry. Students will be taken step by step through the process of channel setting through up to two ring projects.

Have you always wanted to learn to make jewelry but never had the time? If that is the case, this condensed three-day exploration of beginning jewelry basics may be your ideal solution. While completing a ring or pendant with a stone set in it,  students will learn foundational skills that are necessary for all metalsmithing projects. 

Ring in the holiday season by creating your very own jingle bell! Over the course of just one day, students can expect to learn the forming and finishing techniques needed to create a bell that rings. Participants will start by cutting out their bell shape template from flat sheet metal.  Then, using simple forming tools, discover how to hammer the form of the jingle bell, and finish it off by polishing and adding wire for hanging as a necklace or decoration!

Learn how to hold a stone using only wire and create a tear-drop style silver pendant. We will be using a variety of wires and pliers to bend, tie, and form a pendant with a secure center stone. This will include learning different weaving, coil, and framing patterns. These are all cold-fusion techniques, no heat or glue involved, and no hammers necessary. These wire working methods can be applied to other areas of artistry to accentuate your work with wire. 

The necklace has endured the test of time as one of the oldest and most popular forms of body adornment. It has been made by every culture and in every single material imaginable, but yet the possibilities for this jewelry object are continuously expanded upon by makers almost every single day. Learn how to create a necklace from start to finish: design, fabricate, polish, and adorn yourself with a dynamic and personalized neck piece in record time.