Twin Peaks @ Danaca Design in Seattle, Washington
Mar
26
5:00 PM17:00

Twin Peaks @ Danaca Design in Seattle, Washington

What could possibly be better than a nice, juicy cabochon ring? Maybe a ring with two juicy cabs in gold bezels? Juicy is a technical term by the way. In this class I’ll teach how to fabricate a sturdy yet elegant open ring with two cabs set in 22k gold with a silver border. I’ll cover fusing 22k, making a tapered ring shank, bezel setting, hammer hand-piece texturing, liver of sulfur patination and many other tips and tricks.

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Gold on a Budget Online Class with Pocosin Arts
Apr
3
to Apr 17

Gold on a Budget Online Class with Pocosin Arts

Ah, gold. It looks beautiful, it’s a pleasure to work with, and it enables me to sell my work at a price that compensates me for my labor. Sadly, it’s also very expensive. I
would just rob an armored car full of gold bouillon, but I promised myself I’d never go back to prison. I would miss Baleigh way too much and after all the money spent and
pain endured getting all my prison tattoos laser removed, it would be silly to get myself incarcerated again. That’s why I’ve developed a plethora of techniques that allow me to
get the great visual impact of gold while using minimal amounts. This project is designed to teach you a few of these techniques.

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Gold on a Budget @ the Creative Metal Arts Guild in Portland, Oregon
May
16
to May 18

Gold on a Budget @ the Creative Metal Arts Guild in Portland, Oregon

This class is an exploration of the techniques Alex uses to take relatively small amounts of gold and exploit them for maximum visual impact. Students will make an 18k wire overlay for a ring shank, fabricate bezels for cabochons in 22k gold, and make a gold-rimmed silver backplate for the bezel. They will then solder all of the elements together to make a completed piece. Along the way, Alex will explain ways to keep the solder seams between metals crisp and clean, set stones in ways that leave minimal tool marks, make custom titanium soldering clips, keep waste to a minimum, and many other tips and tricks.

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Saddle-set Hinged Earrings @ Northwind Arts Center in Port Townsend, WA
Jun
13
to Jun 15

Saddle-set Hinged Earrings @ Northwind Arts Center in Port Townsend, WA

This class is all about teensy tiny moving parts. They can seem intimidating at first but with a little guidance you’ll be crushing it. And by crushing it I actually mean not crushing it because then they wouldn’t work anymore. I’ll cover building 22k gold bezels for cabochons, making saddle settings for drilled stones, making tiny hinges and riveting them together without freezing the hinge, making a little swivel hook for ear wires so that the earrings don’t go flying off the next time you’re headbanging in the mosh pit, and tons of other little tips and tricks that have applications in all sorts of scenarios.

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Spinning and Swinging @ Pocosin Arts in Columbia, NC
Jul
14
to Jul 18

Spinning and Swinging @ Pocosin Arts in Columbia, NC

In this class, students will learn how to integrate ball bearings into a spinning ring with hinged elements that rise and fall using centrifugal force. Additionally, we’ll explore ways to maximize the visual impact of small amounts of gold. By the end of the class, each student will have crafted a one-of-a-kind ring and gained new techniques to incorporate into their future work.

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The Spin Room @ B Golden in Salt Lake City, UT
Aug
22
to Aug 24

The Spin Room @ B Golden in Salt Lake City, UT

This class is all about incorporating ball bearings into jewelry to make smoothly spinning kinetic bling.  I’ll cover fabricating the mechanisms that hold a ball bearing to a ring, then a bezel set cabochon to the ball bearing allowing the setting to spin freely.  Along the way I’ll show all sorts of techniques that can be incorporated into many different designs.  Tips and tricks will include but are not limited to texturing with a hammer handpiece, liver of sulfur patination, using small amounts of gold to make a big visual impact and soldering complicated assemblies with ease.

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Lapidary 101 @ The Boulder Metalsmithing Association
Feb
22
9:00 AM09:00

Lapidary 101 @ The Boulder Metalsmithing Association

  • Boulder Metalsmithing Association (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

In this class students will learn how to cut their own cabochons from rough and slabs. Skills covered will include the use of a trim saw, how to shape and polish cabochons, how to hold various shapes of stones when cutting, how to shape stones for easy setting, how to make matched pairs for earrings and how to cut a stone to fit a pre-existing setting. No previous experience cutting stones is necessary. 

Each student will have the use of a Diamond Pacific Genie machine during the class.

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Saddle-set Hinged Earring Class at CMAG in Portland, Oregon
Oct
11
to Oct 13

Saddle-set Hinged Earring Class at CMAG in Portland, Oregon

This class is all about teensy tiny moving parts. They can seem intimidating at first but with a little guidance you’ll be crushing it. And by crushing it I actually mean not crushing it because then they wouldn’t work anymore. I’ll cover building 22k gold bezels for cabochons, making saddle settings for drilled stones, making tiny hinges and riveting them together without freezing the hinge, making a little swivel hook for ear wires so that the earrings don’t go flying off the next time you’re headbanging in the mosh pit, and tons of other little tips and tricks that have applications in all sorts of scenarios.

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Gold On A Budget Re-Envisioned with The Metal Arts Guild of Georgia in Atlanta
Sep
27
to Sep 29

Gold On A Budget Re-Envisioned with The Metal Arts Guild of Georgia in Atlanta

This class is an exploration of the techniques I use in my own work to take relatively small amounts of gold and exploit them for maximum visual impact. We’ll cover making an 18k wire overlay for a ring shank, fabricating bezels for cabochons in 22k gold, making a backplate for the bezel in sterling silver with a rim of 22k and joining all these elements together to make a completed piece. Along the way I’ll explain ways to keep the solder seams between metals crisp and clean, techniques for setting stones that leave minimal tool marks, making custom titanium soldering clips, keeping waste to a minimum, texturing, patination and many other tips and tricks.

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 Gold on a Budget Earring Edition with the Washington Guild of Goldsmiths in Washington D.C.
Aug
23
to Aug 25

Gold on a Budget Earring Edition with the Washington Guild of Goldsmiths in Washington D.C.

With gold prices at a record high, working with it can be more intimidating than ever. In this class I will share the techniques I use in my 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”.

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Let's Twist Again Online Class with Metalwerx
Jul
18
to Jul 25

Let's Twist Again Online Class with Metalwerx

This unique virtual class is all about stealing the long cherished secrets of blacksmiths to make jewelry! I’ll show you how to sneak into their workshops late at night and plunder all their anvils, hammers, and tongs. Just kidding. What we’re actually going to do is take the classic blacksmithing technique known as the pineapple twist and modify it for jewelry scale work. After mastering the basic principals and learning how to make a wide range of different patterns, I’ll show you how to make a cuff and a ring.

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Saddle Set Earrings @ Diane Weimer Studio
Jan
19
to Jan 21

Saddle Set Earrings @ Diane Weimer Studio

  • Diane Weimer Studio (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

In this class students will learn how to build a saddle setting for a drilled stone, riveting fragile materials without risking breaking the stone, building small hinges, making a safety catch for French hook style ear wires as well as many other tips and tricks. Intermediate to advanced metalsmithing skills are required for this class.  

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Gold on a Budget Extended Edition
Oct
8
to Oct 13

Gold on a Budget Extended Edition

In this workshop students will learn how to mix sterling silver and 22k gold for the making of jewelry. The techniques covered in class will include making bi-metal sheet, sheathing sterling silver rings with a thin but durable layer of gold, building gold-rimmed bezel settings for cabochons and faceted stones, fabrication techniques to keep the contrast between metals sharp and defined. Participants will have the opportunity to employ these techniques in a manner that reflects their own aesthetic, leaving the workshop with a unique piece of jewelry as well as many new techniques and skills to explore and implement in their own work. This is not a beginner-level class, but open to advanced-intermediate to advanced-skill levels.

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Twin Peaks @ The Boulder Metalsmithing Association
Sep
23
to Sep 24

Twin Peaks @ The Boulder Metalsmithing Association

In this class, students will learn how to make a two-stone ring in sterling silver and 22k gold. Techniques covered include fusing 22k, mixing gold and silver elements cleanly and easily, creating bezels for unusual shapes of stones and how to set the stones, fabricating a tapered ring shank, soldering complex shapes together with ease, texturing with a hammer hand piece and many other tips and tricks.

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Twin Peaks Online With Pocosin Arts
Sep
6
to Sep 20

Twin Peaks Online With Pocosin Arts

In this class, students will learn how to make a two-stone ring in sterling silver and 22k gold. Techniques covered include fusing 22k, mixing gold and silver elements cleanly and easily, creating bezels for unusual shapes of stones and how to set the stones, fabricating a tapered ring shank, soldering complex shapes together with ease, texturing with a hammer hand piece and many other tips and tricks. The class consists of 3 2 hour sessions over Zoom. Students will receive one month access to the recordings of the class at the end of the last session. Times are eastern standard.

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May
20
to May 21

Hinged Earrings in Anaheim, CA

Students will learn how to make a saddle setting for a drilled paddle stone and attach that via hinge to a bezel set cabochon. This course will also cover making a safety catch for the ear wires so the earrings don’t go flying off when you’re head banging to death metal music or base jumping from a skyscraper.  

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Jul
9
11:00 AM11:00

Let's Twist Again Online Class

In this class students will learn how to make variations of the classic blacksmithing technique known as the pineapple twist. After mastering the basic principals and learning how to make a wide range of different patterns I’ll show you how to make a cuff and a ring. After the class, you’ll have access to video of all the demonstrations for 1 month.

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Jun
7
to Jun 21

Shoulda Put A Ring On It Online w/ Metalwerx

In this demo-focused virtual class, students will learn how to make a sterling silver hollow-backed ring with a large cabochon stone set in 22k gold. While large, the fabrication process covered in this course will ensure the ring will be light, comfortable, and perfectly contoured to the finger, for an exceptional fit. The stone setting aspect of this workshop will focus on large-scale bezel setting, allowing for a bold aesthetic. As the instructor, Alex Boyd, puts it, “This style of ring is so successful, it enabled me to purchase a second yacht to house my Bengal Tiger Mittens. That’s a Bengal Tiger named Mittens, not mittens made from a Bengal Tiger.”

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Lapidary 101: Introduction to Stone Cutting-- Virtual & In-Studio Workshop @ BOMA
May
30
9:00 AM09:00

Lapidary 101: Introduction to Stone Cutting-- Virtual & In-Studio Workshop @ BOMA

In this class students will learn how to cut their own cabochons from rough and slabs. Skills covered will include the use of a trim saw, how to shape and polish cabochons, how to hold various shapes of stones when cutting, how to shape stones for easy setting, how to make matched pairs for earrings and how to cut a stone to fit a pre-existing setting. No previous experience cutting stones is necessary.

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Gold On A Budget-- Virtual Workshop @ 92nd St. Y
May
1
to May 2

Gold On A Budget-- Virtual Workshop @ 92nd St. Y

In this class students will learn how to make the most of a precious resource.

Techniques covered will include making a gold-sheathed ring, a gold-rimmed bezel for a faceted stone, making your own bi-metal, alloying gold from scratch, making a gold-capped rod with a flush-set stone and many other tips and tricks. Intermediate to advanced skills required.

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It's All Gone Pear-Shaped-- Virtual 2 Day Workshop @ Pocosin Arts Center
Apr
21
to Apr 28

It's All Gone Pear-Shaped-- Virtual 2 Day Workshop @ Pocosin Arts Center

  • Pocosin Arts School of Fine Craft (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

In this class students will learn techniques for building bezel mountings for pear and trillion faceted stones and setting those stones in a pendant with file-worked accents. The techniques covered will enable the student to make settings for any angular faceted stone.

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You Shoulda Put a Ring On It-- Virtual & In-Person Workshop @ BOMA
Apr
17
9:00 AM09:00

You Shoulda Put a Ring On It-- Virtual & In-Person Workshop @ BOMA

  • Boulder Metalsmithing Association (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Learn how to make cabochon set ring with a hollow underside and a gold or silver bezel.

This is either an in-person, in studio OR an online, live, interactive class. Alex Boyd will connect to the BoMA studio live on our large screen TV via Zoom. The first part of the class will be used for introductions, sharing some of Alex's work and history and demonstrations. All of the demonstrations have been filmed in advance to have the best possible camera angles and explanations.

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Lapidary 101: Introduction to Stone Cutting-- Virtual & In-Studio Workshop @ BOMA
Apr
3
9:00 AM09:00

Lapidary 101: Introduction to Stone Cutting-- Virtual & In-Studio Workshop @ BOMA

  • Boulder Metalsmithing Association (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

In this class students will learn how to cut their own cabochons from rough and slabs. Skills covered will include the use of a trim saw, how to shape and polish cabochons, how to hold various shapes of stones when cutting, how to shape stones for easy setting, how to make matched pairs for earrings and how to cut a stone to fit a pre-existing setting. No previous experience cutting stones is necessary.

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I Like Big Bezels and I Cannot Lie--  Virtual & In-Person Workshop @ BOMA
Mar
20
9:00 AM09:00

I Like Big Bezels and I Cannot Lie-- Virtual & In-Person Workshop @ BOMA

  • Boulder Metalsmithing Association (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Students will learn how to make a thick bezel for a cabochon pendant. Instruction also covers how to make a hinged bail!

This is an online, live, interactive class. Alex Boyd will connect to the BoMA studio live on our large screen TV via Zoom. The first part of the class will be used for introductions, sharing some of Alex's work and history and demonstrations. All of the demonstrations have been filmed in advance to have the best possible camera angles and explanations.

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