I just returned from my annual jaunt to the mountains for another fabulous week of jewelry making and (this time) relaxing. The class was self-directed and my work focused on layering different materials using rivets, especially experimenting with recycled materials.

I made a bracelet from 2 copper header gaskets (from a car); a “window” necklace of pierced copper layered over a flame-painted background; a landscape sunrise brooch that can also be a necklace; and several colored plastic necklaces. (Shown below). Instead of soldering the layers together, impossible for the plastic pieces, brass nails, copper tacks and steel headpins were used as rivets to hold them in place.

 My projects:

Not only did I learn from the teacher, but the other students were a wealth of knowledge.

One of my classmates had a wonderful necklace made of things she found on the sidewalk with a chain made out of a coat hanger. Another melted down a gold tooth and a couple of pieces of broken gold jewelry to make a gorgeous gold pendant. But the craziest project was a huge silver belt buckle with 8 bezel-set stones. It was so large that It had to be soldered using 2 big torches, one on top, one on the bottom.

If you are interested in learning more about the Workshops, here are some links:

Southeastern Federation of Mineralogical Societies https://www.sfmsworkshops.org/

Wildacres Retreat https://wildacres.org/