All Levels | TBD Materials and Studio Fees*
This workshop introduces the fundamental techniques of traditional jewelry making, with an emphasis on creating gold-plated pieces. Using copper, brass, and sterling silver sheet and wire, participants will design and fabricate basic rings, earrings, pendants, and pins, while learning key metalworking processes such as cold forging, soldering, hollow construction, sawing, piercing, filing, texturing, and finishing. The final step will focus on gold plating the completed pieces using a safer, cyanide-free process. Participants will leave with a small collection of one-of-a-kind gold-plated jewelry and a solid foundation in metalsmithing. This workshop is designed for beginners, but open to all skill levels.
Prerequisites: Basic skills such as sawing, piercing, filing, sanding, and soldering are helpful but not required. This workshop is designed to be accessible to students with little to no experience in metalsmithing or jewelry-making. We will begin with fundamental techniques for creating simple jewelry pieces and gradually build on those skills throughout the workshop. The end goal is to gold plate all finished pieces, so the focus will be on creating clean, simple designs that showcase the highlight of the workshop — gold plating!
*Materials and studio fees are charged to students based on studio usage and materials Touchstone is providing at the request of the instructor. Additionally, some instructors may also require that you bring certain materials and tools with you, in which case a list will be provided. Final cost of these fees will be posted at least two weeks ahead of the workshop to be paid in full prior to check-in.
