I recently finished the first of my full-sized online jewelry courses and what a journey it has been! I started with a class that I’ve been teaching for over a decade: Byzantine Chain Mail Bracelet. This was on the class schedule last Spring and I had to cancel it. Here’s a little background of how […]
One of my most popular posts is about choosing the right saw blade for your metal working project. I decided to make a video about the same topic, going into a little more detail.
How to Choose Which Wire Loop to Make For Your Jewelry Project The most helpful jewelry wire-working technique you can know is making a loop in a piece of wire. If you can create the basic loop, you will have a place for a link or connection in your design. A common earring, for example, consists of […]
Basic Earring Construction (“Simple Loop”) Earrings are great projects, because with a few tools you can have a finished piece in a matter of minutes. Instant gratification! Follow the steps below to learn the very basics of how to make earrings using a simple loop.
Most of you already know that Mana Beads has sadly closed her doors, as of June 30th. After 14 years in Nevada City, it feels like the end of an era. For the last several years, I had the good fortune to teach an array of jewelry-making classes in the Mana Beads studio. We played […]
It’s always a good thing when you find like-minded people to share in your passions. I discovered exactly that when I came across Studio 26 in Cameron Park, CA. It’s a jewelry-maker’s studio designed for learning, problem solving, creative sharing, inspiration and encouragement!
originally printed in “The Bead Scoop” Vol. II Issue 2 July 2008 This is a re-print from a regular newsletter I used to send out. I am to re-publishing articles from that newsletter now and then because the information is still relevant! We’ve been doing a lot of herringbone stitch in classes lately so here’s […]
Basic Troubleshooting for a Difficult Solder Join We all have challenges with jewelry soldering from time to time. Maybe you just don’t have the right focus on a particular day. Or perhaps the join is more complicated than usual. Possibly, you’re just starting out and aren’t sure what to expect. The main thing you can […]
How To Calculate the Inside or Outside Diameter of Jump Rings I’m teaching a Chain Mail (aka “Chain Maille”) class this weekend so I thought it would be a good opportunity to delve into the fascinating world of jump ring measurement. Caution, math ahead! Measuring jump rings seems like it shouldn’t be all that complicated. […]
