Jewellery For Beginners/Intermediate Instructor - TBD
This 10-week course introduces students to the fundamental skills of the traditional goldsmith for making jewellery. Practicing on materials such as copper, brass and nickel, students learn to create shapes in metal and join them to form earrings, pendants, pins, rings or bracelets. Soldering techniques will be used, as well as methods for connecting metals without heat. Through a series of lessons and exercises, students will practice the skills and produce pieces from their own designs. Returning students will continue to expand their skill set with each new project. Students who wish to work in silver, can bring their own materials or purchase supplies from the instructor.
Course Content: 1. Introduction to tools & equipment 2. Introduction to metals - alloys, sizes, shapes, suppliers 3. Health & Safety - hazards, prevention, communication 4. Design transfer to metal 5. Sawing - straight line, curves 6. Piercing - punching, drilling 7. Filing - flat, convex and concave surfaces, types of files & uses 8. Finishing - sanding, brushing, burnishing, thrumming, polishing 9. Surface Decoration - Texturing, stamping, roller-printing 10. Forming - twisting, forging, doming, fold-forming 11. Cold connections - jump rings, rivets (pin and tube), wire wrapping 12. Hot connections - soldering with oxygen/propane torch; easy/medium/hard solder 13. Findings - earring hooks, toggle clasps, pin backs 14. Ring making - fabrication from sheet or wire 15. Projects will include making pendants, earrings, pins, bracelets, necklaces and rings based on each student’s own designs.
The first few lessons will have demonstrations and practice sessions on the techniques listed above. As the course progresses, you will be given opportunities to develop your own designs and lesson time to work on making your own unique pieces.
Jewellery For Beginners/Intermediate StarterTool Kit:
A starter kit of basic tools and samples of base metals must be purchased before the first lesson (first-time students only). The cost of this kit is $60 (including tax) and includes the following items: Jewellers’ saw frame
Jewellers’ saw blades (dozen)
Wooden bench pin & bench clamp
Sanding sticks
Polishing stick
Sand paper samples - various grits
Sample metals: - copper/brass/nickel - sheet/wire/tubing
Other items recommended to bring to class: • Needle files • Flat file • ½ round file • Pliers - round-nose, flat-nose, chain-nose • Wire snips • Tweezers - fine tip, cross-locking • Hammers - ball peen, cross peen, riveting, rawhide or delron • Paper towel or old towel/rag • Paint sticks • Sharpie fine point permanent marker
• Notebook • 6” (metal) ruler • Optivisor or magnifying glass (if needed)
Additional metals will be available for purchase from the instructor, including sterling silver.