JEWELRY DESIGN WORKSHOPS

CONTEMPORIZING TRADITIONAL ETRUSCAN JEWELRY
- The Art, Technique, and Design
of Bead Stringing and Bead Weaving
(5-day workshop, Narrative Summary)

How do you keep beadwork and jewelry design essential and alive?

In this week-long series of workshops, for both Beginner as well as more Intermediate level beaders or jewelry makers alike, we will be examining traditional Etruscan jewelry, and how we can understand it from the vantage point of good jewelry design principles.

We will learn and practice some basic techniques of bead stringing and bead weaving. We will learn to use hard wire to make simple and coiled loops, as well.

Then we will do some thinking, planning and experimenting with these techniques and principles in order to create contemporary interpretations of two or three Etruscan pieces of jewelry to see what we can achieve.

[In my Contemporizing Traditional Etruscan Jewelry Workshop, the development of this Butterfly Bracelet is used as an challenge to see how many different arrangements of the bracelet components participants can come up with. Here are some examples.]

5-Days
For small group (6-15 participants)
Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced

ORIENTATION TO BEADS & JEWELRY FINDINGS
Whether you are new to beadwork, or want a refresher class, you
should consider taking our Orientation to Beads and Jewelry Findings
workshop . This course acquaints the student with the world of beads –

O How to tell the quality of beads before you buy and use them
O How beads are made, and the differences in quality and
craftsmanship, based on where they are made
O What the differences are among druks, fire polish, seed beads,
delicas and the like
O How to understand metals and platings, especially their pros and
cons, and what happens as they age
O What the various types, sizes, finishes, shapes and styles of beads
are
O Where beads come from, and how they have been used historically
O How to make intelligent choices about which stringing materials to
use
O What tools you will need, and how to buy them

2 to 2 1/2 hours
For small or large groups
Beginner, or a good refresher for Intermediate or Advanced

BEAD STRINGING WORKSHOPS

BASICS OF BEAD STRINGING AND ATTACHING CLASPS
Jewelry Designers create pieces which are appealing, durable, wearable, and anticipate the effects of context and movement. There are 3 different approaches to teaching Bead Stringing, each with pros and cons.

How to Select and Appropriately Use Clasps . Each type of clasp is discussed, detailing how they are used, when and when not to use, and basic pros and cons. Clasps discussed include: spring ring; lobster claw; pearl or safety; toggle and button; S-clasp; hook & eye; magnetic; snap; barrel and screw; foldover; friction and bayonette; box; lanyard; slide.

How to Select and Appropriately Use Other Jewelry Findings. We go over the following types of jewelry findings and discuss how they are used: crimp and other ends; clamps; bead tips; cones; eyeglass ends; separator or spacer bars; end bars; connectors; jump rings, split rings, soldered rings, attach rings, stamped rings; bails; screw eyes; safety chains; extender chains; bead caps; bell caps; eye pins; head pins. Also discussed is what glue to use with jewelry findings.

Learn How to Crimp the Smart Way.
Learn how to crimp using crimp beads, cable wire and a crimping pliers. Learn how to use crimp covers and horseshoe wire protectors, when you crimp.

Learn How to Use Needle & Thread for stringing beads to make a bracelet. In Bead Stringing, you get your most satisfying outcome using needle & thread. It's the strongest stringing, it drapes the best, it feels the best, and it wears the best. We will practice making a bracelet using needle and thread.

5-6 hours
Small groups (6-15 participants)
Beginner and Intermediate

BEAD WEAVING WORKSHOPS

THE ETRUSCAN SQUARE STITCH BRACELET

THE ETRUSCAN BUTTERFLY BRACELET

THE ETRUSCAN COLLAR

 

WIRE WORKING WORKSHOPS

LET'S MAKE EARRINGS
Participants will learn:
- About the parts and tools used to make earrings, as well as some design considerations
- How to make a simple earring dangle using a head pin and attach to a French hook ear wire
- How to make an earring dangle consisting of a piece of chain and drop beads, and then attached to a French hook ear wire.

1 to 1 1/2 hours
Either small group (6-16) or large group (20-60)
Beginner

MAKING SIMPLE AND COILED WIRE LOOPS
Participants will learn:
- About tools and wire used to make simple and coiled loops, either as part of earring dangles, or as bead and connecting chains
- How to make simple loops
- How to make coiled loops

1 hour
Either small group (6-16) or large group (20-60)
Beginner

 

BUSINESS OF CRAFT WORKSHOPS

GETTING YOUR JEWELRY MAKING BUSINESS STARTED

PRICING AND SELLING YOUR JEWELRY

INTERNET MARKETING FOR VERY SMALL BUSINESSES THAT WORKS