Jewelry Classes

Tidepool Bracelet with Linda Ames

Pendant Set with David Farris

Create a unique textured copper pendant and/or earrings to impress your friends and family with jewelry designer David Farris. In this 2 hour class you will learn a variety of different techniques including cold connection, stamping, texturing, finishing, metal forming and stamping. No experience necessary, alternate materials will be offered at an additional cost.

Bio
David Farris is a jewelry designer, metalsmith, and G.I.A. certified gemologist living in Orange County, CA. His jewelry designs feature a wide range of materials ranging from sterling silver and semi-precious gemstones to platinum and diamonds and often showcase unusual textures and markings combined with rich surface patinas. In all of his work, he believes that the design and composition of the piece is every bit as important as materials used. David considers his jewelry creations to be wearable pieces of art and believes that his formal fine art and design education from California State University, Long Beach gives him a unique approach to jewelry design.

Water Casting with Erin Elowe

Pendant Making with Debi Burton

Unique Layered Neckpiece – This stunning, modern, layered neckpiece can be worn in many different ways. On a handmade copper or silver collar, a chain, or leather, this versatile pendant can be combined in many patterned metals, put together with rivets, and draped with beads and pearls in any color. Let your imagination be your guide.

Bio

Debi Burton is a well known custom jeweler who had her own shop for over 15 years on Clement St. in San Francisco. She has made everything from a Bishops ring to a Gorilla bracelet in 18k gold. Debi closed the shop to sell art pieces of jewelry to galleries from California to Florida. These were pieces in fumed glass set in 14K gold with precious stones. Along the way she became interested in restoring antiques which she did successfully out of her studio for the next 10 years. As an antique restorer she worked for some of the top galleries in SF, NY, and LA. She enjoyed the challenge of combining old skills with new in bringing fine old art objects back to life. It was with casting and fabricating talents on a larger scale that drew Debi in the direction of antiques. She still does custom jewelry, but by appointment only.
In 2008, Debi took up teaching with Saddleback College giving classes in jewelry making and enameling with the Emeritus program in Laguna Woods.   She says the ArtAFair and Winter Sawdust Festival are a wonderful venue for exploring new techniques and to make unique artwork for people to enjoy. She currently teaches for the Jewelry & Allied Arts Club in Beginning Jewelry and Polymer Clay in Clubhouse 4 of Laguna Woods. New Classes are in the works.

Brooch with Kelly Nye

This intricately cut brooch is inspired by vintage silhouette images. It is fabricated from brass but can also be made from copper, silver and nickel. The images may vary in detail, ranging from famous head shots to small vignettes like this one. The major skills learned during the completion of this project are sawing and filing.

Bio

Kelly Nye has exhibited her wearable sculptures at several group shows within the Southern California area including the Metal Arts Society of Southern California’s Emerging Voices Student Exhibition where she received an Honorable Mention Award. Ms. Nye also debuted her sterling silver and silicone rubber jewelry at The Wexner Center for the Arts gallery store in Columbus, Ohio. She was involved in the California State University Long Beach MFA Open Studios Program has been a significant member of the curatorial team for the Greater Los Angeles Master of Fine Arts exhibition hosted by CSULB graduate students for the past two years. She was accepted to the Winter Park Arts Festival Emerging Artist program in Winter Park, Florida and has been published in Lark Books The Art of Paper Jewelry. Kelly is currently teaching Jewelry and Metal arts classes at Jewelry Arts & Design College in Los Angeles. Kelly Nye was born in Columbus, Ohio and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Columbus College of Art and Design. She recently obtained her Master’s degree from California State University, Long Beach with an emphasis in metals.

Fused Glass Pendant with Cindy Stalnaker

Create an eye-catching sparkling dichroic glass pendant with Sawdust Artist Cindy Stalnaker.   Learn the basics of glass-fusing and dichroic glass.   You will have the opportunity to choose your glass colors, while learning cutting and layering techniques for fused glass.   No experience necessary.   Note that due to kiln-firing times, your pendant will be mailed to you the week after the class.   If you need magnification glasses for close-up work, please remember to bring them.      

Bio

Cindy returned to her artistic roots in 2002, after a 22-year advertising career.   She studied Fine Arts at the Silvermine College of Art in New Canaan, CT; and Metalsmithing at Saddleback College, Mission Viejo, CA. She embarked on her “glass odyssey” by undertaking a comprehensive series of instruction throughout California; Murano, Italy; and Stockholm, Sweden.   Her current body of work includes fused and slumped glass, copper enameling, and lampwork glass beads. In 2009, she appeared on HGTV’s That’s Clever crafting program, demonstrating her techniques for a decorative fused glass platter and dichroic glass drawer pulls. A Laguna Beach resident, Cindy exhibits at both the summer Sawdust Art Festival, as well as the Sawdust’s Winter Fantasy, and she is currently a member of the show’s Board of Directors.

Jewelery Making with Lorraine Hornby

Twist & Turn: Silver Wire Sculpture Earrings

Let your imagination run wild to create a unique pair of silver earrings! Using a few simple hand tools, students will learn how to transform a length of silver into a work of art. Students will begin with a design set in copper before completing the sculptural silver earrings. Class also offers the option to add pearls and gems for extra dazzle.

An exploration of texture and shape in metal.

Learn easy techniques to text your metal and how to use a jeweler’s saw to create shapes from sheet metal. Design a layered pendant with an elegant bail. All cold-connected by a hand-formed rivet.

Bio

I love the process of designing a new piece: thinking about color, balance, texture, and form. I spend many hours searching gem shows to find distinctive stones to include in my work. Each piece that I make is the culmination not only of this searching, but of time spent imagining many variations leading to the final design, and of the actual creation of the work.

Pendant Making with Sarvi Hosseini

This pendant project is a fun one for beginner where you can learn some basic jewelry techniques using wire to form shapes that are the basis for the pendant.   Stones may be wrapped to hang inside and be part of the finished pendant.   Using copper or silver wire, students form the wire, file, hammer and texture, along with some wrapping techniques.   The pendant then hangs from leather straps with which you creatively finish off this pendant project.

Bio

Sarvi Hosseini is a jeweler who specializes in sculptural jewelry, she is mostly known for her work that she creates using lost wax casting method, but also uses fabrication, and enameling to add an extra dimension to her work.   Sarvi has studied ceramics, still life, fashion design, and metalsmithing and feels all these medias has helped her to develop a unique line of jewelry and belt buckles that embraces her love for nature.   She lives and works in Laguna Beach where she exhibits her work at the Sawdust Art Festivals in the summer and winter.