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You've seen the word. Maybe you've heard it in the context of handmade jewelry, or stumbled across it while looking for a creative class to try. But what exactly is metalsmithing and is it something a regular person with no art background can actually learn? Short answer: yes. Longer answer: keep reading. Metalsmithing, defined Metalsmithing is the craft of shaping, forming, and joining metal to create functional or decorative objects. Jewelry is the most common application,

You've thought about it. Maybe more than once. You saw someone's handmade earrings and wondered how they did that. Or you walked past a jewelry studio and felt a pull you couldn't quite explain. Or you've been crafting for years — knitting, painting, ceramics, whatever your thing is — and something about working with metal keeps catching your attention. Here's what I want to tell you: that pull is worth following. I've been teaching jewelry making for more than a decade, and

I got into metalsmithing through the gateway drug – beading. I knew I wanted to make more complicated designs that involved sheet metal and solder and, like any good DIYer, I learned (read - screwed up) as much as I could on my own before I set out to find an expert to teach me. I'm stubborn like that. Luckily, I had someone to guide me when I picked up my first torch. But a lot of things I figured out through trial and error, through melted silver and funky bezels, through m

If you've been making jewelry for a while — sawing, soldering, stone setting, the whole kit and kaboodle — you've probably heard of metal clay. Maybe you've been curious. Maybe you've dismissed it as a beginner medium and moved on. I'd like to make a case for a second look. Metal clay is one of those materials that rewards the experienced maker in ways it simply can't reward a beginner. You already understand how metal behaves. You already think in three dimensions. You alrea

So you’ve heard the word “enameling” and you’re curious. Maybe you saw a piece of jewelry with those glorious, glassy colors and thought — how did they do that? Maybe a friend took a class and won’t stop talking about it. Maybe you just like shiny, colorful jewelry and want to make some of your own. Whatever brought you here, welcome. You’re in the right place. So what exactly is enameling? Enameling is the art of fusing powdered glass to metal using heat. That’s it. Colored