Send me an email to schedule a private online class:
leta55555(at)hotmail.com.
Click on the class titles to read the description.
Beginner courses
(No previous experience is needed for any of these classes, but it might be a good idea to combine some of these classes if you have no
previous learning)
During this session you will show me your space that you would like to set up as your work space. I will explain exactly what you will need
and how you should organize it, what tools and materials you will need, how much it will cost (minimum) and how to make it a safe environment.
You will get a list of tools and equipment customized for your needs and goals.
You will also get basic knowledge of soldering so you will be able to start practicing right away.
After this session you will have a very clear idea what to do from start to finish, how everything is going to work for you,
what tools you need, what is your minimum starting cost, where to buy your tools and materials.
No previous silver smithing experience is needed. During this session you will learn how to make a ring and a pendant, a bezel for a round
and an oval cabochon stone, set your stone and polish the ring. We will go through the metal finishing and texturing techniques.
You will also get basic gem knowledge, learn what stones are hard and how to handle gems that need special care and where to buy them.
No previous silver smithing experience is needed.
During this session you will learn how to make jewelry with the techniques that do not require soldering. You will be able to make textured earrings
with handmade ear wires, textured or stamped solid metal open bracelets and rings, bracelets and necklaces beaded with wire and made with pre-made
commercial chains.
You will learn how to do metal piercing and cutting, filing, drilling, texturing, stamping, polishing, what professional finding to use
and how to make your own designer findings, jump rings and toggles; you will learn about qualities of different metals (silver, copper and brass),
what they can be used for, how to take care of them, colour and clean them.
During this session you will learn how to use cold enamel with minimum of tools and materials.
Combine this lesson with Elementary jewelry making, jewelry made with cold techniques (if you don't know yet how to pierce,
drill, file, texture and polish metals) to make your own custom designs that are finished and ready to be given as a present or sold.
During this session you will learn how to set up your space for carving, carv a ring out of professional jeweler's wax.
You will learn about different types of wax,
learn how to use all the tools that will make the process easy, learn how to fix mistakes and do add-ons,
what to do if you are planning to add the stones to the rings.
You will have a clear understanding what tools to use, how much is your initial setup,
what stones to use, where to buy them, how to prepare your carved jewelry for stone-setting and how to outsorce casting process.
You don't need any previous jewelry making experience to start making engraved jewelry.
During this session you will learn how to make and polish your own gravers, what types of gravers are available and how to use them to
decorate your jewellery with fine textures, ornaments and stone-setting (you will learn star-setting); how to fix mistakes, make your own tools and
engrave letters and words.
If you don't have any previous experience, we will talk about how you can use engraving in simple custom made jewelry, finished and ready to be worn.
During this session you will watch a demo of a beautiful surface hot-texturing technique.
Reticulation will give your silver a "crinkled" look when you heat up your silver almost to the melting point.
Then you will learn how to add granulation to your reticulated jewellery.
No solder is needed for this technique, so the granules will be fused to the surface very accurately.
At the end of the session you will have a clear understanding of how to use this technique for your rings and pendants and how to add gemstones to
your reticulated jewelry.
During this session you will learn how to make jumprings, use disc-cutter and doming block, assemble and solder chains. You will learn what
is the difference between silver, copper and brass wire, how solder them, colour, clean, polish and protect from tarnishing.
