Introduction to Metalsmithing for Jewelry-Making 6-Week Class
About this Event
Have you ever wanted to create your own metal jewelry or unique handcrafted pieces? Now's your chance! In our Beginning Metalsmithing Class, you’ll learn the essential skills to turn raw metal into beautiful, personalized art.
What to Expect:
- Hands-On Instruction: Our experienced instructors will guide you through each step, from the basics of cutting, sawing, filing, shaping and texturing to joining pieces with torch soldering techniques.
- Create Your Own Pieces: By the end of the course, you will have completed several unique projects that you will be proud to wear or share.
- Artistic Expression: Discover how to texture, polish, and finish your piece to make it truly yours. Explore your creativity with metals like silver, copperb and brass!
Why Take This Class? Designed for beginners, this class welcomes anyone with an interest in learning the art of metalsmithing. You’ll gain confidence with essential tools and techniques, setting a foundation for future jewelry-making or metalwork projects.
Join us for a fun, hands-on experience, and leave with a beautiful, one-of-a-kind pieces and new skills to keep creating!
Beginning Metalsmithing
- Thursdays, October 8, 15,22, 29 and November 5 and 12, 2026
- 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
- Cost: $330
- Materials: silver sheet and wire must be purchased by student, estimated total cost $150-$400*
*All tools, equipment, and consumable materials (except for metal) are provided by the studio. The studio will provide the materials for the first project in the first day of class. The student must provide materials for the remaining projects, which will be discussed during the first class.
Here’s a general outline of what you can expect:
- Safety Basics: Handling tools safely is crucial. The instructor will discuss how to set up a safe workspace, use protective equipment, and practice good ventilation and posture when working with metals.
- Tools and Materials Overview: You'll learn about essential tools like saws, files, pliers, hammers, and the types of metals used in metalsmithing (such as copper, brass and silver).
- Sawing and Filing: You'll practice sawing metal sheets and filing edges to get a smooth finish. This helps develop control and precision in shaping and refining metal pieces.
- Soldering and Annealing: Soldering is essential for joining pieces, and annealing is used to soften metal for easier shaping. The instructor will demonstrate how to control the flame and handle the torch.
- Forming and Shaping: Techniques like bending, hammering, and doming will be introduced to help create curved, dimensional forms. You will learn how to use mandrels and forms for shaping metal.
- Texturing and Finishing: Adding texture to metal is often done with hammers or specialized tools. Polishing techniques, patinas, and finishes will also be introduced to give your pieces a professional look.
Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to explore a new artistic medium and make some beautiful creations. See you there!
Fingernail Moon Jewelry Studio is located in FAVO - Faith Arts Village Orlando - a vintage 1950s era motel that has been converted into artist studios. Use the address 718 Highland Avenue to get to the first parking lot. To enter the facility, turn north on Highland from Colonial, there is a stoplight, and enter the second driveway on the left, through a black fence. You will see a sign that says "Park Lake Presbyterian Church, FAVO Art Studios". Proceed through the parking lot to the far right and rear and on through the driveway connecting to a second parking lot. You will see an L-shaped building with colorful doors - that's us! I am studio 237, second from the end upstairs on the right. Look for the moons!
Agenda
Classes 1 & 2
Info: In the first class we will do a quick overview of the course, discuss the basic tools and skills for metalsmithing, the types of metal we will be using, and the skills we will be learning. We will also (hopefully) complete our first project: a silver ring band. This project is to help us learn the basics of measuring, cutting, shaping, soldering, texturing and finishing. A lot to learn with one little ring! Students will be provided with a piece of sterling silver wire and guided step by step through the process.
Classes 2, 3 & 4
Info: First we will have a short lesson on sawing, a critical skill. Each student will receive a saw, replacement blades and a bench pin to take home to practice. ***** Next we will get started on our second project: a bezel set stone for a pendant, earrings or ring. Students will be given a selection of cabachons to choose from, then will also be given a strip of fine silver bezel wire and shown how to wrap the stone. At this point students will need to have purchased their sheet silver. Over the next class or two, we will solder the bezel to the back plate (the sheet silver), add any embellishment, solder on a bail or ring shank, and shape the backplate. Then we will finish and refine the piece and finally set the stone and voila! Project #2 done, and along the way we have cut, shaped, fit stones, filed, done quite a bit of soldering, and polished like crazy! We're getting to be pros at this!
Classes 4, 5 & 6
Info: Our final project is to make a chain. Students will need to have purchased their wire by this time. This will help us refine our soldering skills. We've been using a big flame on big pieces of metal, now we're going to use a much smaller flame on thin metal that can melt easily. We're also going to learn a different technique called "pick soldering" that allows us to be more precise. This is a love it or hate it project, but you will for sure love your chain once it's done!
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 351.45
