Jewelry making class projects and pictures

I had fun teaching a new class a couple of nights ago at Gifts of Avalon.  I taught jewelry makers how to use a draw plate to gradually draw down the diameter of their wire to make a brooch.

The first thing people had to do was file the end of the metal into a long point.  This is important to get it through the draw plate.

You stick your piece of wire into the first hole where that pointed end gets "stuck".  The next step is use the draw tongs to pull the piece through.  This makes the diameter of the wire smaller, but makes the piece longer.

As I mentioned a few times over the course of the evening, "lube is your friend".  The lubricant helps the wire guide through the draw plate easier.

After class participants created their free form design, they could selectively hammer parts to give it some dimension and visual interest.










I am always amazed in class at just how creative people can be!  Take a look at the finished class projects:

Claudia is modeling her brooch.

Claudia's brooch close up.

Kathy's brooch!  (You saw her filing earlier in this post.)  An admitted jewelry making novice, but quite an excellent first try!

This is Judy's artsy brooch.  Drawing wire was not quite her game that night, but I think she liked it better than sawing sheet metal.

Jill's brooch with a pearl.  It arches up in the middle and is really quite elegant.  I think the pearl adds a lot.

Chrissy also chose to model her pin.  Another newbie effort and success!

Sharon was also a new one to my classes.  Her abstract pin goes with her blouse pretty well.

Last but not least is the (other) Judy's pin.  Judy did not have the kindness of the "jewelry karma" bestowed upon her for class.  Part of her piece broke midway through class, but she pulled it together to create a very nice pin.







I don't currently have any classes scheduled for September and October, but I hope to have something on the calendar soon.  Keep tabs on my classes page to know the latest.