Virtual Courses

Explore all the ways that metal can be used to create one of kind settings that will “trap” all your precious objects from gems and stones to found materials. Learn techniques and tricks of tab setting using basic tools like a jeweler’s saw, drill, and files to create your own unique settings in sheet metal. This two-day workshop will cover making patterns, sawing, filing, sanding, and setting stones.   

Working at the bench can be taxing on the body. The way you move in your studio impacts how you feel. This workshop series is designed to teach you how to understand your common movements in the jewelry studio. Each session will be a mix of lecture and physical movements that target a specific area of the body and jewelry making practice. By the end of the course you will be ready to transform your studio practice. 

Knitting is a method of looping or stitching consecutive threads together to form a larger connected whole. In this live, virtual workshop students will learn how to apply the knitting technique, also knows as "crocheting", to create a beautiful tubular chain using just a few hand tools and metal wire. Versatile and stylish, this chain looks very much like a Loop-in-Loop chain but is much easier.

This three-session class will examine the design structures borrowed from botany. Student will learn to translate, interpret, and design using motifs such as twigs, leaves, vines to create unusual pieces of jewelry that reference or mimic elements in nature and botanicals. Techniques such as forging, texturing, tapering, fusing, and fabrication in Argentium will be demonstrated and larger design discussions will be had in regards to making methodology and visual language. 

In this virtual workshop students will explore just how much a single sheet of metal can do and will leave with the understanding of how to achieve a huge variety of results for creating volume. Demos will cover numerous approaches to add form and depth. Working predominately with sheet metal, the class will explore slot & key construction as well as drilling, sawing, bending, and forming in order to achieve shape and volume using both hot and cold fabrication techniques.

This live, virtual course will focus exclusively on two distinct stone setting processes - the first being bead setting and the second being hammer setting on a thick walled tube. Students will be guided on how to expertly hold and use bead setting tools, how to measure and construct an extra thick tube, and then how to hammer set a round faceted stone. Learn to to add perfect highlights to nearly any surface and create a clean visual frame that emboldens your stones to act as a focal point, while giving the piece a secure and structurally sturdy setting suitable for daily wear!

This virtual course offers participants the chance to learn lapidary techniques for carving stones from the comfort of their own studio bench! No large lapidary equipment required! Students will be shown numerous diamond bits to achieve a variety of designs and textures, as well as how to polish those carvings. Ryan will also cover the process for creating laminations and gold inlay designs in stones!

Powder coating is a terrific way to achieve uniform and long lasting color on the surface of metal. This virtual course will provide instruction on setting up powder coating for a home or shared studio and powder application using electrostatic spray deposition (ESD). Curriculum will cover setup and application methodology, tips on how to fabricate for the process, and surface altering techniques.

If you've been seeking to learn how to take dynamic imagery of your jewelry using a smartphone camera device, then look no further! We've teamed up with Halstead jewelry supply to get you started on taking the first steps towards shooting stellar images, from compositional tips and tricks to using camera settings, and putting finishing edits on an image for visual impact.

Say goodbye to flat filigree and take yours to new levels of interest as Victoria demystifies all of her intricate 3D filigree structures. Discover her no-fail method to understanding the process as you learn to think in dimensional filigree, then move on to the complex forms including twist-ups, mobius puzzles, and fabric folds for which Victoria is famous.

In this virtual workshop students will focus on a variety of different ways that texture can be created both on the surface of metal and in a 3D format, by manifesting dynamic hand tools with easy, straightforward applications. Course objectives will cover traditional and less common styles of tools used by artisans for generations. Additional focus will be placed on the value of form and design in order to develop unique, specialized tools that enhance, embellish, and personalize your jewelry work. 

If you have ever wanted to learn how to add drawing or a painterly quality into your work using watercolor enamels, then this is the workshop for you! Using watercolor enamels, this workshop will allow students to achieve very detailed, colorful, and subtle images and patterns on a glass surface. Techniques include mixing colors, making marks, building up layers, and adding fine details.

In this virtual workshop students will learn to make Picasso-inspired polymer clay pieces that pop with any outfit and can either be worn as a pin or a pendant! Color mixing and color blends are the key to this project, providing the base in which to build. A cut and paste technique is used in combination with overplayed line work, and added accents for the final touch. Handmade bail and commercial pin back attachement will also be covered. 

Bezel setting is a simple, yet attractive method of setting cabochons or other stones and is a relatively simple process to learn when setting basic ovaloids or stones in the round. However, taking this setting to the next level requires a lot more practice and mastery over the technique. In this virtual workshop, students will learn ways to improve their bezel setting skills by setting a cabochon with a sharp edge, as well as setting a delicate cabochon with an unusual convex shape.

Confused by the dizzying array of rotary burs, bits, and mandrels on the market? Ready to invest in a flexible shaft machine, but don’t know where to start? In this essential skill-builder, we will cover all the flexible shaft machine basics, from choosing the right motor, handpiece, and rheostat to maintenance and choosing the right bit for the job at hand.

Coming soon! 

For more information about virtual courses, visit our Virtual Course FAQ page. 

Please read the Materials & Tools tab! 

In this virtual course, students will explore patination methods using common household items! Techniques will include short and long term buried and fumed exposure for copper and copper alloys. Surface preparation, tools, patina recipes, sealants, and safety procedures will also be discussed. Come dabble in the scientific side of metalsmithing!