Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN

Spice up your jewelry by combining simple techniques with interesting surfaces and multiple layers. Hate to solder or can’t have a torch? Create pendants, earrings and bracelets using cold connections. Learn how paste solder can make soldering multiple elements much easier. Try coloring the the surface with chemical patinas. Have some cool found materials that you want to add into your work? Let’s do it. Discover some new tools to make your work easier. Last, but not least, bump up your finishing skills so that piece you made looks it’s very best. This is not my color class. All levels welcome. REGISTER HERE

While most traditional jewelry requires casting and soldering, jewelry can be made in a multitude of ways with a vast array of materials. You don’t always need a lot of equipment to make exciting jewelry. As we create a small body of mixed metal jewelry (earrings, pendant, cuff bracelet), commonly referred to as a suite, we will examine various ways to add surface interest and volume. Emphasis will be placed on creating well crafted jewelry pieces that relate to one another. Discussion will center on designing through simplification and abstraction and creating interest with volume and texture. Cold connections will be used to join metals and add in non-metallic materials such as fabric, plastic, wood, etc. No gold and diamonds in this class, we will be working in silver, copper, and bronze. I’m not saying we won’t be soldering but we will definitely be looking at other options. Expect to finish at least 3 pieces.

Beginning

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