Silvera Jewelry School

10/18/2026

GOLD AND SILVER�A touch of gold changes everything about a piece, but you need know how to work with it.

Gold and silver don't play by the same rules. The flux is different, the solder is different, the temperatures are different, and if you don't know the restrictions going in, you can damage both metals before you realize what happened. This one-day class with Joe Silvera covers all of it.

You'll learn to solder a gold bezel, attach that bezel to sterling, and explore surface treatments that add gold accents to silver. You’ll learn gold wash and solder inlay among them. You'll also work through the conversation about flux types, solder selection, and what you can and can't combine when working with both metals at once.

The kit includes gold and gold solder, so you're working with the real thing from the first session.

You leave with a finished pendant: a gold bezel with gold embellishments set on sterling. It's a good piece and a genuinely useful set of skills to have going into the new year.

In-Person + Online�Saturday, December 12�10:00AM – 5:00PM PT

Register here�

The luster of gold adds beauty to your silver jewelry and value. It can make all the difference in the struggle to get a good price for your jewelry. Join us to learn affordable techniques to add a touch of gold to your silver jewelry. Students will learn how to solder a gold bezel and how to solder...

10/17/2026

CAGE SETTINGS�
Rough gemstones, un-drilled pearls, gem balls, all beautiful stones that standard settings simply can't hold. A cage setting wraps around the stone completely, trapping it securely while still allowing movement. It looks complex. The mechanics are actually very learnable.

In this two-session stone setting class with Jenn Parnell Kirkpatrick, you'll learn how cage settings work structurally and when to use them, then build several variations yourself including sheet cage settings, tapered round wire settings, and flat wire settings. You'll also cover how to close and secure the cage cleanly and how to add findings so the piece is ready to wear.

In-Person + Online�Tuesdays, November 10 and 17�10:00AM – 1:00PM PT

Cage settings are a beautiful and elegant way to set rough gemstones, undrilled pearls and gem balls. The setting traps the stone within so that there is still movement in the setting, but the stone can’t escape. An unusual setting with movement, they are a perfect solution to those head-scratchin...

10/16/2026

CASTING PRACTICE

Casting Practice is a two-session intensive focused entirely on the casting side of lost wax jewelry making. You'll sprue and invest your models the first week, then return the second week to cast them using either vacuum assisted or centrifugal casting.

Joe Silvera walks you through every step:
*attaching sprues
*calculating metal weight
*programming the kiln for burnout
*melting your metal
*pulling your castings from the flask
*troubleshooting anything that didn't go as planned

Bring your own wax models. Bronze is included at no extra charge. Sterling and other alloys are welcome too.
Beyond the class itself, students who complete Casting Practice can sign up for open studio time to continue investing and casting independently. That's the real payoff — once you know the process, you can cast your own originals without sending them out.

In-Person�Thursdays, December 3 and December 10�6:00PM – 9:00PM PT

Prerequisite: Basic wax working skills required, including how to weld wax. Lost Wax 1 or equivalent experience.

10/16/2026

Intro to Soldering with Enamels

You've made beautiful enameled pieces. But they're missing ear wires, or a bail, or a jump ring, and you're stuck because you don't know how to solder findings onto enamel without ruining everything.

This is the missing link between enameling and finished jewelry. In three hours with Jenn Parnell Kirkpatrick, you'll learn how to solder findings onto your enamel work (both before and after firing) so your pieces can actually be worn.

What you'll learn:
Eutectic vs IT solder. What's the difference and when to use each
Soldering with specialty low-temperature solders
How to solder ear wires, jump rings, and ear posts onto enameled pieces
Cleanup techniques that won't damage your enamel
How to solder after enameling (yes, it's possible)

This is one of those skills that immediately makes your enamel work more functional and wearable. No more beautiful test pieces sitting in boxes. Just finished jewelry you can actually use.

In-Person or Online
Tuesday, November 10
6:00-9:00PM PT

Love enameling, but want to be able to add in a bail, ear post or ear wire? In this 3 hour class, you'll learn the basics of soldering with enamels, and get practice soldering findings on before and after enameling! Join Jenn Kirkpatrick for this introduction to combining soldering and enameling tha...

10/14/2026

ENAMELING 1: TORCH AND KILN�
Anat Silvera has been teaching enameling for decades, and this two-day class reflects that depth. She teaches both torch and kiln firing, covers the full range of enamel behavior from start to finish, and makes sure you leave with a working understanding of why things happen, so you are’t just following steps. That foundation is what lets you troubleshoot, experiment, and build on what you learn.

You'll learn both torch firing and kiln firing, which means you can practice at home regardless of what equipment you have. A handheld butane torch is enough to get started. Beyond the basics of choosing enamels, sifting, and firing, the class also covers sgraffito, the technique of drawing designs directly into enamel, and stenciling for precise pattern work.

No experience required.

In-Person + Online
Weekend Workshop�October 31 – November 1�10:00AM – 5:00PM PT

Register here�

This class is the perfect introduction to the wonderful world of enameling! Enamels have been used to bring glorious color to jewelry for thousands of years. Fired glass can be added to fabricated or cast jewelry, and brings your designs to vivid life. It all starts with the basics. This course is a...

10/13/2026

Foldforming—Where Origami Meets Metalsmithing (And Magic Happens)
Want to turn flat sheet metal into dimensional, sculptural forms without casting or complex fabrication? That's foldforming.

It's basically metalsmithing origami: fold, forge, anneal, unfold, repeat. The result? Dramatic texture and organic shapes. Cuffs that curve around your wrist, leaves with natural veining, flowers with depth, stars with movement.

Why this technique matters:
✨ Maximum impact, minimal material – Create big, bold pieces from small amounts of sheet metal
✨ No special equipment needed – Just hammers, a torch, and creativity
✨ Instant texture – The folding process creates surfaces you can't get any other way
✨ Endlessly adaptable – Use it for earrings, pendants, cuffs, sculptural elements
✨ Problem-solver skill – When you need dimension or texture fast, foldforming delivers

What you'll make:
* Foldformed cuff
* Earrings
* Pendant
* Plus techniques for adding even more texture and finishing with patina

This is one of those techniques that expands what you can do at your bench immediately. You'll walk away with finished pieces and a whole new way of thinking about what sheet metal can become.

In-Person or Online
Tuesdays, Oct 27 - Nov 3
6:30 - 9:30PM PT

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Foldforming is a fantastic technique for turning sheet metal into dramatically textured forms, like cuffs, stars, flowers, and leaves. This technique combines origami and metalwork to make beautiful surfaces on jewelry by repeatedly folding and unfolding metal sheet in different patterns. Janice wil...

10/09/2026

COMPREHENSIVE SAND CASTING: FUNDAMENTALS AND GEMSTONE TECHNIQUES�with Brienna Hall

Sand casting is one of the oldest metal forming methods in existence, and one of the most satisfying. You pack a mold, pour liquid metal, and pull out a finished form. What this three-day workshop with Brienna Hall adds is something rarer: the knowledge to cast gemstones directly into your work.

Day 1 covers the fundamentals: multiple casting approaches, sprue design, venting, and two-part mold construction.

Day 2 moves into cast-in-place gemstones: which stones survive the heat and which don't, and how to set them flush, in tubes, channels, and grain settings directly in the mold before you pour.

Day 3 introduces the Core Casting System: a three-part mold that unlocks more complex ring forms, plus vacuum-assisted casting and the possibility of casting found objects, found stones, and other materials directly into your silver.
The workshop wraps with finishing: filing, sanding, texturing, and polishing. So every piece leaves the bench complete.

No prior experience required. All levels welcome. Kit of materials payable directly to the instructor on the first day.

In-Person�Friday – Sunday, December 4 – 6�10:00AM – 5:00PM PT

Register here�

In this three-day workshop with Brienna Hall, students will begin with a comprehensive introduction to sand casting using sterling silver. The first day focuses on foundational techniques, including multiple casting approaches, sprue design, venting, and constructing two-part molds. We will explore....

10/08/2026

CROWN SETTINGS�
A crown setting is exactly what it sounds like, a fabricated cone with carved prongs that taper upward around a stone, lifting it off the surface and letting light in from all sides. It's one of the most elegant settings in jewelry making, and one of the most adaptable. Cut the prongs shorter and it reads like a bezel. Cut them taller and more open and it reads like a classic prong setting. The same basic form works for rings, pendants, earrings, and more.

In this two-session stone setting class with Jenn Parnell Kirkpatrick, you'll fabricate a crown setting from scratch, lay out and carve the prongs, cut the seat, and set a faceted stone into a finished piece. The class also covers fit, customization, and common troubleshooting. You will leave with both the finished work and a clear understanding of how to adapt the technique going forward.

In-Person + Online�Tuesdays, December 1 and 8�10:00AM – 1:00PM PT



Register here�

Crown settings are a timeless and very adaptable setting. This setting can be more like a bezel or prongs depending on how you cut it. With an elegant taper, this setting is perfect for rings, pendants, earrings, and many other applications! In this class, students will learn how to fabricate a crow...

10/07/2026

Wire Hoop Earrings with Janice Von Itter�
Hoop earrings never go out of style, and in just three hours, you'll learn to make several different shapes and styles from wire. You'll walk out wearing a pair you made yourself.

In this beginner-friendly class, Janice will show you how to form hoops from wire, harden them for strength and wearability, add texture to the metal, and polish them to a finished shine. You'll learn techniques for shaping consistent curves, working with different wire gauges, creating clean closures, and finishing earrings so they're ready to wear or gift.

Like all our classes, we use home-friendly tools and materials—so once you learn the process, you can keep making hoops in your own space. Simple enough for your first metalsmithing experience, satisfying enough to keep you coming back to make more.

No experience needed. Kit included.

In-Person
Tuesday, November 10
6:30PM - 9:30PM PT

Register here

Hoop earrings never go out of style- large or small, there's so much to try! In this three hour class, you'll learn to take wire and create several different shapes and a couple different styles of quick and fun hoop earrings. You'll go home with earrings to wear and to share! You'll learn how to f....