Alex Boyd Workshop
GOLD ON A BUDGET 2.0 EARRING EDITION
With gold prices at a record high, working with it can be more intimidating
than ever. In this class, Alex Boyd will share the techniques he uses in his
own work to maximize the appearance of gold while minimizing the cost.
Students will leave the class with the skills necessary to fabricate in gold
and silver with confidence.
In this class we’ll utilize these skills to create a pair of earrings with gold
bezel set cabochons, gold-rimmed back plates and diamonds flush set in
gold-capped silver rods. Alex will also show us how to make swivel hooks
that secure the earrings so you can “swing your head about with reckless
abandon and not lose a precious jewel”.
Alex will supply a kit for purchase from his website. He will also bring extra
kits to the class.
Join us for our first in person workshop in YEARS, at Montgomery College
Members: $380
Non Members: $440
Non members can join the WGG and then elect to pay the members price.
You will need to join the guild prior to signing up for the website.
We hope you can join us.
Dates: August 23, 24, and 25, 2024
Time: 10am to 5pm EST.
Registration is now closed.
Matthieu Cheminee Workshop
Chains Making Workshop:
Registration is now closed.
Alex Boyd Workshop
Hinged Pendant: Prongs, Hinges, and Gold, Oh my!
Prong set tablet style stone hinged to a bezel set cabochon with a hidden bail in silver and gold.
Kits will be available to purchase from Alex’s website alexboydstudio.com
Make a prong setting for a tablet style stone in 22k gold and sterling silver, and attach the setting via a hinge to a bezel set cabochon with a hidden bail.
In this workshop, Alex will show us how to fabricate a prong setting in silver and gold for a tab-style stone. He will also show how to make a gold and silver bezel setting for a cabochon with a hidden bail behind the stone. The two elements will be connected with silver hinges with a gold hinge pin. Alex will cover texturing with a hammer hand piece and patination with liver of sulfur. Many other tips and tricks will be included as well.
This is an intermediate to advanced class. Students should be confident with all the basic skills including soldering, sawing, filing and bezel setting.
Cost: $225 to members, $285 to non-members
Dates: May 10, 17 and 24, 2023
Time: 11am to 1pm EST.
WGG membership $50. To get the lower member rate, if you are a non-member, please join WGG at www.washingtonguildofgoldsmiths.com. WGG membership includes monthly meetings on third Tuesday of the month at 7pm, quarterly newsletter, and WGG’s biannual exhibition.
Kits start at $125 on up and available on alex’s website alexboydstudio.com. Kits include materials and stones needed for the workshop. Please order at least 10 days before class to guarantee arrival by the start of the class.
Registration is now closed.
Suzanne Williams Clasp Workshop
Member Rate: $225
Non-Member Rate: $285
Washington Guild of Goldsmiths (WGG) is hosting a unique online clasps workshop. $225 for members and $285 for non-members. We strongly encourage you to also become members of the WGG for the additional benefits it offers to metalsmiths.
Suzanne Williams designs and makes intricate clasps and closures for jewelry as integral parts of the overall jewelry design. In the CLASPS workshop, we will create clasps and closures that instead of being an afterthought, are unconventional, functional, intriguing and engaging to look at. These clasp mechanisms can be modified and incorporated in unique and unusual ways, in innumerable variations, into necklace and in some cases bracelet closures – becoming integrated into the design, or as the main attraction of a jewelry piece. In this his 3-session, 2 hour – long workshop (taking place on 3 consecutive Fridays in February) we will create samples of the following 3 clasps: A Rotating Insert Clasp (Basic Version), An Interlocking Puzzle Clasp, and a Wedge Lock Clasp. Each session will begin with the introduction and discussion of that week’s clasp, along with showing samples and examples followed by a video showing the condensed fabrication process for that clasp. Suzanne will then live-demo making the clasp along with revealing tips and tricks to ensure a successful outcome. Handouts will also be included.
Cost: $225 to members, $285 to non-members
Dates: February 3, 10 and 17
Time: 11am to 1pm EST.
Registration is now closed.
One additional hour in the evening (time to be decided with participants) for a question-answer session to resolve the hurdles you might come across while executing the projects.
Lockets Shouldn’t be Round
Fascinated with containers, little boxes, secret hide-aways? Me too.
Does fabricating hinges & catches make you pause? No longer. Learn new fabrication & soldering skills while making a non-traditional locket or small box. Starting with a simple hollow-form shape, students will go through the sequencing and construction of a locket with a hinge & clasp.
Date and Time:
Feb 11 (1-5PM EST) , 12 (1-4 EST), and 13th (1-4EST), 2022
Where: VIRTUAL
Member Rate: $300
Non-Member: $350
Registration is now closed.
Prerequisites:
Please note this is an Intermediate Metalsmithing workshop and be proficient with the following skills: Sawing, filing, measuring, soldering, and a knowledge of metals studio safety procedures, of all the tools used.
About the Instructor:
Carla M. Fox brings the ideal balance of fine craftsmanship and wild imagination to her work. She has been a professional metalsmith/jeweler for over 20 years and her work has been featured and won awards in top juried art shows across the country. Carla loves to teach her craft, because she is the consummate student herself. Curious from childhood about tools and techniques and with an acute attention to detail, and a bit of engineering, she inspires that same joy and exploration in her students. Her skill in fabrication techniques include: fabrication, soldering tricks, design, hollow-forms, etching. The use of varied materials and techniques can be seen in her work at: www.carlamfox.com
