Part two of the All in Earrings tutorial From Estona Metalsmithing. Click here for part one . Finishing up the prong setting and making the dangle from our casting! Thank you Estona for sharing. To see more of her videos and to subscribe, here is her youtube channel. Estona Tutorials...

Estona Metalsmithing did a fantastic tutorial on making dangling earrings with a different way to make settings for faceted stones. This is part one, in part two, she uses our Freeform Flower casting as a final touch! I love the way these look and her explanation for the stone setting is very well thought out and shown in these videos. For part two, click here . ...

Kat from The Superstitious Jackalope jewelry line shows us her at home jewelry studio along with some of her must have organizational tools for a home jewelry studio....

Today we are going over our favorite tips and tools for stamping when making jewelry. From getting good impressions to what tools we prefer. Tools we use: Heavy brass hammer Steel block Rubber block or sand bag Electrical Tape Double sided tape Various Stamps (love these border stamps ) Copper metal ...

Kristi from Northwoods Silver has been silversmithing for about a year and her home jewelry studio is in her basement! ...

Follow along as we show you how to make an ocean jasper cabochon ring. Tools & materials used for Ocean Jasper Cabochon Ring Project project: Materials: 20 gauge Silver Sheet 1/2 round Wire for the Ring Band (we used decorative ring band  ) bezel strip (we used serrated bezel  ) Easy, medium and hard silver solder Cabochon    Any half round wire between 12g and 6g will be good for rings depending on the size of the stone and the desired look of the band. Keep in mind, the higher the number the thinner the wire.  Tools: Ring Sizers Calipers Fine tip sharpie Nippers Jewelry Saw Flat nose pliers and or Miter Jig Wire cutters  Wubber bail pliers .  The Wubber 7 & 9mm bail making pliers are a favorite around the studio. Steel Block Rawhide or Nylon Hammer Ring Mandrel Ring Clamp Bech Pin Flex Shaft Polishing Wheels: Yellow, Red and Blue Radial Discs Silicone wheels fine and medium grit Bezel R......

Today we are going to talk about one of the most useful tools on our jeweler's bench... Calipers! These are the calipers we use at the studio:  6" digital calipers Uses: Depth and diameter of stones. Checking bur sizes. Inside diameter of rings. (you need to be able to create the correct size ring. Scribe for straight lines. Know the thickness of your metal. Know if you filed your metal straight by holding them in. Drawbacks: Convert to inches and can easily hit the convert button. Easy to accidentally hit the zero out button ...

At home with Mike Marcum of MIIIK3 Mike has some great insight on where to pickup tools, how to make your jewelry bench work for you, and getting it done that are inspiring for anyone wanting to start making jewelry from home. So make sure to check them out in our next at home studio tour! ...

During these crazy times while everybody staying inside and possibly in need of inspiration we thought we’d start a new series. This is our first studio tour at home with Shad of Silver Saguaros ! So sit back, enjoy and maybe pickup a few tips for organizing your bench. You can find Shad here:  Etsy Silver Saguaros We especially love this eagle claw pendant that is up there now! Instagram @silversaguaros ...

Today we are going over all the steps for you to be able to make your own french ear wires. This is something you can do when you’re not feeling inspired creatively, but still want (or need!) to be in the studio and productive. Sometimes we don’t feel especially creative, but pushing through with a project like making and stockpiling a bunch of ear-wires helps us get into the right frame of mind for our next design. And, when you are in a creativity frenzy, you'll have all the ear-wires your jewelry needs and deserves.  So here is our quick video on the process we use to make our own ear-wires. ...

How did you get into metalsmithing? I have always loved silver and turquoise and wanted to do something that included those in my creative outlet. My early childhood, I grew up in Arizona so that had a lot of influence on my interest in the Southwestern styles. My Dad had a very close friend who had the largest Turquoise belt buckle I had ever seen. I thought it was so beautiful and special, I will never forget it. I also credit my start into silversmithing to my Mom! She passed down her turquoise ring from the 1970’s to me when I was sixteen. I still wear the ring almost daily. We spent our summers in the Northwoods of Wisconsin on a lake (my favorite place) and every year on one of our “town” visits, we would visit a silver shop and would get to pick something out. That is why I named my business Northwoods Silver. My path to metalsmithing was a bit untraditional, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Just 8 months ago, I took my first class at Harold Studio and have take......

How did you get into metalsmithing? I’ve been into collecting jewelry since high school, when I inherited a bit of my grandmas native turquoise jewelry collection. Then after collecting and searching for stuff that I like or that fits for years, I just decided I wanted to try to make things that I couldn’t find and things that fit me. I have a couple good friends who are also into metalsmithing, lapidary and collecting that also really helped me get into silversmithing. I took the 8 week jewelry 1 class at the Harold Studio and really took off from there! What inspires you? Everything! I live for 40s/50s Fred Harvey era silver. Turquoise! The desert! Stones! Stones, probably more than anything, they really make every piece so special. What is your design process? I don’t know if I really have a process really. I doodle designs a lot, but my drawing is terrible. I usually just lay out some stones and it really just comes to me from there. Ill start moving ele......

How did you get into metalsmithing? Years ago, my grandma gave me her wedding ring and told me that I could reset the stones, if I wanted to do so. I felt that the best way to honor her, would be to learn how to reset the stones myself. Ironically, I no longer want to reset the stones. I cherish the memories that I have of her wearing that ring. I want to preserve the ring and the memories. What inspires you? I'm very inspired by other cultures. Specifically, Native American and Hispanic cultures. I love the story, the spirit, the richness and the detail. What is your design process?  I tend to be a more methodical person, so, I'm not one to "wing it".  I almost always have a plan before I start working on a piece. Usually, I end up deviating or modifying somewhere along the way. That's the part of the process that I have a tricky relationship with. I don't like uncertainty, although, uncertainty can be our best teacher. What is you......

How did you get into metalsmithing? "I developed an obsession with turquoise in 2018. It literally developed overnight. Until then, I used to think it was an "old lady stone", guess I'm an old lady now ;). Anyhow, I bought a few pieces of old Navajo jewelry and the workmanship was amazing, so I wanted to know how it was all put together. I looked up silversmithing classes and came up on Harold studio and the rest is history (not that long of a history I guess).   What inspires you? I find inspiration in different places...antiques, old metal structures and even stones themselves (sometimes I "sit" on them until it "comes" to me what they should be). My love for vintage and rustic shows in textures and designs of my jewelry. What is your design process? Design process...as much as I overplan in all other aspects of my life, jewelry design just comes to me. I start working on something and it develops into......

How did you get into metalsmithing? I had an uncle who made a living as a watchmaker. He also had an interest in stones and made some jewelry. When I was in elementary school he would take me along to hunt for rubies, and on one occasion he bought me a handcrafted Sterling dogwood flower ring. I thought this was so amazing! Later on I became aware of art shows, and grasped the fact that I could actually make a living designing and making jewelry. What inspires you? I would have to say beauty. I relate to the fluid nature of metal, and am totally in love with the drama of fire. I find clarity in looking for design, and it is usually a subtle, very unplanned idea that starts my process. c What is your design process? Very simply, I make it up as I go along! What is your favorite tool? I like working with my foredom ..... the finishing process I find rewarding as the piece is becoming a whole. What is on your bench right now? ......

Are you already browsing for holiday gifts just to avoid the madness of the holiday rush at Christmas time? Or, are you dreading it because some of your loved ones are hard to shop for? Maybe some combination of these? Harold Studio can help you reduce your pre-holiday stress! We offer classes throughout the year. We have options for every skill level. From beginner, to intermediate and seasoned jewelry designer.   We also sell jewelry design supplies and tools at our studio in Phoenix, AZ.  All of these make great gifts! Here’s a list of gift ideas for the creative soul in your life. For the Beginner Jewelry Artist: Jewelry 1 Class --This class covers all the basics a metalsmith jewelry artist needs to know to develop their craft. Hand sawing earrings, soldering to make a ring, to creating patinas textures and more. This 8-week class will help your novice loved one become proficient at the art of metal jewelry design.   For th......

You’re feeling pretty awesome lately. An art-based event company approached you about exhibiting and selling your jewelry to a large audience. It’s different from your local farmers market and sounds more sophisticated than your opportunity to sell at a local school fair. However, don’t get distracted by sleek, marketing tactics – the chic website and venue location. Here’s some tip-offs that an event may not be worth your time: The event organizers don’t ask to see images of your work. A legitimate art /artisan-focused event company would have a juried selection process from which to decide which artists participate in a given event.  They require you to sell tickets to the event. This in turn, takes time away from you that you could be applying to your craft, or making new pieces. Not to mention, it can cause friends/family to feel awkward or obliged to support you vs. you simply inviting them to the event – no strings attached.   T......