Jewelry & Metalsmithing Are All About the Tips, the Tricks, and the People
Happy Spring/Fall! Wherever you are, may the colors and weather be beautiful and inspiring.
Spring here is underway, and despite the persistent freeze warnings and night, and the clouds of pollen…ok, and if I’m honest the fact that everything in Atlanta is covered in The Yellow Snow (in which no dogs have play a part), and that all cars, decks, outdoor furniture, sidewalks, and sometimes our dogs are suddenly all the same snot-green color of pollen, doesn’t change that I still love it. The rhododendrons and red buds are blooming with wildly intense pinks and purples. Our neighborhood barred owls are in full on dating/nesting mode again this year, promising my favorite kind of Easter eggs: ones that turn into baby owls.
In celebration of longer days and more bright sunlight on my bench, I wanted to share these 4 great metalsmithing tips that are useful in so very many fabrication situations. This short but packed video is excerpted from my Granulation & Keum Boo Beads course, coming this fall. As I rewatched it, I was reminded that most of these tips originated in some way with one of my early teachers John Cogswell, whose passing I was deeply saddened to learn of recently. It was John who first introduced me to the concept of fusing sterling and/or 18 karat gold for granulation back in the 1990s, and, when I developed my own method of multi-layering and fabricating with granulation, it was John who championed my discoveries.
Whenever anyone complimented John on one of his great tricks, his response was to smile and say, “If you like it, pass it on,” so in that spirit, feel free to share this!
How to make an edge smooth without making yourself crazy
And speaking of my Granulation & Keum Boo Beads course, it’s my intermediate granulation course so there is a pre-requisite in order to sign up for it.
Fortunately, Granulation Rings is where I teach my method of fusing in sterling and/or 18k that allows for complex fabrication and designs, and it’s right around the corner!
Sign up and save now before the early bird discount ends on Sunday, March 24, 2024
Access to demos begins April 20, 2024
Live Sessions (also recorded) April 26 & May 3 at 1:00 PM EDT (New York time)
Access everything and get instructor support From April 20 through July 2, 2024
