Yes, I am interested, but want to know specifically what would be involved. Jo-Ann's sells jewelry kits for roughly $30 (often half off) so I would only have interested in professional jewelry classes, not beginning.

I've talked with a friend who is a professional custom jewel smith. All he does is create custom jewelry. He may be interested in teaching a class in investment casting. This is where you make a wax mold of a piece, coat it in something, and after melting out the wax you then can cast gold or silver to make a ring and so forth.

If you guys are interested in this kind of thing, please let me know and I'll get started seeing when he could teach a class.

It's also the kind of thing where we can likely add equipment in the shop for use after the class.

I am a Masters degreed jewelry designer/goldsmith with 35 years experience. I owned and operated a custom design fine jewelry business in Raleigh for 28 years. I am highly skilled in all traditional and many contemporary/experimental jewelry making techniques, from basic cutting, shaping, joining, and polishing to hand carving models for lost wax casting to gemsetting using traditional and original setting methods, to selective color oxidizing reactive metals such as titanium and niobium to rapid protyping. I am well versed in the working properties of base and precious metals as well as a specialist in rare and obscure gem materials, pearls, diamonds and their substitutes.
I have retired from operating my store, and would relish the opportunity to return something to the community that supported me for so many years by teaching others what I have learned.
Please let me know what classes would be of interest, how many hours of instruction you would be willing to sign up for, and what schedule would suit the most students. I can teach intensive single skill professional level classes for jewelers working in the field wanting to expand their skills, to general introductory classes for the complete novice interested in learning what it takes to create an original piece of jewelry you'll be proud to wear. Classes can be geared to as few as 2 students to as many as 10 students. The introductory class, because of the amount of material needed to be covered, would likely require 3-4 instructional hours and could be a set up as all in one day workshop or as one hour per week sessions that could be extended or built upon if there is enough interest.
I am not really interested in teaching "crafty" hobbyist level classes such as gluing purchased findings to tumbled rocks or basic bead stringing.

**do stone setting...

Casting would be an intermediate level class, stone setting an advanced level class.
The ciriculum I have used in the past teaches skills in building block type progression:
Introduction
1. pattern drafting and layout for a basic overlaid ring from silver sheet.
2. sawing and filing
3. sweat soldering of flat metal using a torch and silver solder, introduction to annealing, flux and pickling
4. forming the soldered metal into a ring. Truing ends for a no gap seam. Butt soldering a seam, truing on a mandrel for roundness and size
5. sanding, oxidizing, and polishing. Introduction to tool texturing and patterning metal.

Intermediate I might be more advanced construction techniques such as metal forming to create 3D objects, working with wire and shaped metals, forging to change metal shape, roller printing, advanced pattern creation, introduction to tool making and modifying. Introductory class would be a prerequisit.

Intermediate II could include lost wax casting, carving wax models, casting from natural objects and other materials, direct casting using cuttlefish bone, cleaning up and finishing the raw casting. Introductory class would be a prerequisit.

Advanced I a continuation of intermediate I. more advanced shaping and forming techniques such as repousse, chasing, engraving. Stone setting of cabochen and faceted stones, setting calibrated stones utilizing premade heads and bezels, pattern development and construction of settings for non calibrated stones. Flush and pave setting. Intermediate I would be a prerequisit.

Advanced II a continuation of Intermediate II covering casting gems in place, creating fitted settings for non calibrated stones in the wax model, channel and bead and bright setting into the finished casting. Discussion of new technology such as 3D cad and rapid protyping. Intermediate II would be a prerequisit.

Exploratory jewelry techniques. A customized ciriculum based on student interest.

Basic repair skills for the bench jeweler. New skills or brush up for students interested in persuing a career as a bench jeweler doing quality repair work in a retail jewelry establishment. How to properly resize a gold or platinum ring without and with mounted stones. retipping broken or worn prongs. When is it necessary to remove stones before attempting a repair. resizing/repairing neck chains. basic assembly work and creating a jewelry piece by assembling premade parts. setting diamonds and other calibrated stones into stock mountings. Cleaning and refinishing jewelry. Knowing when to say NO.

I'd also sign up for a wax casting class, plus the pre-reqs to get their. I would not be as interested in sheet metal as much as casting.

Looking forward to it!!

OK, looks like I have at least two interested students, what schedule would be best? I'd prefer not teaching on the weekend as my wife and I compete in national level autocross racing several weekends a month starting in March. I am available days or evenings otherwise.

And we are working as fast as we can to re-open!

Scott

I am definitely interested in learning more about jewelry making. Please contact me when the classes get going! Thanks, Tim

Golden1, both my daughter and I are interested in your classes beginning with the introductory ones and and progressing to the more complex ones. We would prefer during the day, anytime Monday through Friday and a couple of hours at a time.

Daughter is the artistic one, I'm just curious about all the mechanics/processes of doing the work.

Please post or send info as scheduling/planning/costing progresses.

Thanks, Dave

Just for clarification: Smiths (a craftsperson who makes metal objects by hand) are named by the types of work they do, and the tools and techniques they use, not necessarily by the material they make those objects from:
metalsmith - craftsperson who makes sheetmetal objects.
silversmith - a craftsperson who makes fine utensils and holloware.
goldsmith - a craftsperson who makes personal adornments.
pewtersmith - a craftsperson who makes everday utilitarian utensils and holloware.
blacksmith - a craftsperson who works hot metal utilizing a forge.
My classes will be goldsmithing as defined by the processes and objects, not by the materials we will use. We will likely use silver in class, but the techniques taught would be just as applicable to gold, copper, brass, or nickle silver (nickle silver or "german silver" is actually a white brass and contains no silver).