METALS AND JEWELRY STUDIO
FABRICATION CLASSES
Learn how to create and assemble various materials to create a piece of handcrafted jewelry or other decorative and/or functional objects. Working in sterling silver, gold, copper, and/or brass, the focus of these classes is on developing the skills and techniques necessary to use equipment, torches, and tools in the studio, and focus on learning the basics: cutting, sawing, texturing, shaping, soldering, fusing, filing, sanding, grinding, and polishing. Students advance at their own pace. Instruction is individualized as you progress to more complex design and construction techniques. As an intermediate or advanced student, you will have an opportunity to expand and refine your skills as you learn more advanced techniques.
METALS/JEWELRY FABRICATION
Fabrication (All Levels) Beginning students will learn basic techniques of metalsmithing and use of tools for creating their own jewelry. Measuring, marking, cutting and sawing, drilling, filing, annealing, doming, soldering and forging will be taught. These techniques will be used to create a forged bracelet, a textured pendant, and a cabochon stone bezel-set ring. Instruction is individualized as you progress to more complex design and construction techniques, with an emphasis on developing individual design style. Equipment and supply list will be discussed in the first class. No supplies will be needed the first day; $10.00 supply fee for beginning students.
Intermediate students will increase their knowledge and skills of advanced techniques of metalsmithing through an introduction of projects and demonstrations. Students will learn stone setting, hand-construction, hinges, fold-forming, marriage-of-metal, and die-forming with an emphasis on developing individual design style. Instruction is individualized as you progress to more complex design and construction techniques.
WAX CARVING AND CASTING
Beginner, Intermediate & Advanced Casting - Beginner students learn how to carve a pendent or earrings, and then use the Lost Wax Casting technique to cast it into gold or silver. Intermediate students learn how to carve a ring with a stone setting and textures. Advanced students work on their own projects and learn casting a stone in place, the dos and don’ts for a production line, contacting commercial casting companies in Dallas, and mass finishing are discussed.
BEGINNING METAL CLAY FABRICATION
This class is an introduction to PMC3 and teaches working with lump clay, paste, syringe work, and clay paper. Students learn how to make jewelry by shaping texturing the clay using textured surfaces and rolling the clay like pie dough. Learn how to change the clay into .999- fine silver by using a small torch. Finally, polish your one-of-a-kind piece and add oxidation bringing out the textures! Projects include making earrings, beads, necklaces, and rings. As the student progresses, they learn advanced skills such as carving in dry clay, creating hinges, setting stones after the clay is metal, and making hollow forms such as boxes, and rings. Precious Metal Clay® (PMC®) consists of microscopic particles of silver, bronze, copper, or gold suspended in an organic binder to create a pliable material with a consistency similar to modeling clay. PMC® can be worked with the fingers and with simple, inexpensive tools to create a vast range of forms, surfaces and textures that would be unattainable or laborious with traditional techniques. When heated to a high temperature, the organic binder burns away and the metal particles fuse, forming solid metal that can be sanded, soldered, colored and polished like conventional metals. PMC® allows the creation of hollow objects, creating leaves, and quick caps for holding drops. Easily create settings using PMC®. CZs, Sapphires, Ruby, Garnets, Diamonds, can be mounted in the setting before firing the piece!