Mendocino Art Center Jewelry Studio

08/05/2026

Keum-Boo: Gold Foiling for Jewelry on August 29th from 10-5:00 at Mendocino Art Center. On this day-long workshop on you will learn the ancient Korean art of keum-boo, where 24 kt gold foil is fused to fine silver!

Instructors:

Keum-boo (Korean: 금부; also Geumbu, Kum-Boo or Kum-bu—Korean “attached gold”) is an ancient Korean Gilding technique used to apply thin sheets of gold to silver.

Traditionally, this technique is accomplished by first depleting a surface of stealing silver to bring up a thin layer of fine silver to the surface. Then 24 carat gold foil is applied with heat and pressure—to produce a permanentdiffusion bond. Keum-boo is a beautiful, cost effective and sustainable technique of utilizing gold in your designs and creating beautiful and intricate surface decoration. Keum-boo can be used on the surface of jewelry and hollowware. Whether you’re new to the process or looking to refine your skills, this hands-on workshop offers a fun and rewarding way to elevate your metalwork with the beauty of gold.

In this workshop you will learn all the history and basics of this beautiful surface technique and how to: depletion guild, how to design with intention, cut and apply the gold foil to three dimensional, flat, and textured metal surfaces, techniques for finishing.

Together we investigate the various ways metal surfaces, particularly fine silver, can be enhanced by manipulation and through the application of gold foil, to a prepared silver surface.

07/06/2026

✨ Save the date! ✨

Join us on August 8th from 5-8:00 for the opening reception of Quicksilver, an exhibition celebrating the talented studio artists of the Mendocino Art Center Jewelry Department.

Explore a beautiful collection of handcrafted sterling silver and gemstone rings, bracelets, earrings, and pendants, each showcasing the creativity and craftsmanship of our studio community.

Featuring the work of .nicho, , Lynda Sheffel, and Nikki Luka.

We’d love to see you there! ✨ Bracelet by Lynda Sheffel

06/24/2026

A big thank you to Brian Weissman and Erin S. Daly for a wonderful Spoons Workshop! We are so fortunate to have had you share your knowledge, skill, and enthusiasm with our community. Metal was formed, annealed, and transformed into beautiful handcrafted spoons, and a great time was had by all. Thank you to everyone who joined us for a day of learning, creativity, and connection. ✨🥄✨ Mendocino Art Center

06/17/2026

Advanced Sand Casting with Gemstones w Brienna Hall - July 18 & 19 In this advanced workshop, we will explore stone selection, heat tolerance, mold preparation, and various setting techniques. Students will learn to cast gemstones in place using two-part molds and the core casting system. We will explore flush, tube, channel, and bead setting methods, create prong settings, and work with a vacuum assist to achieve precise, cast-in-place results. Participants will refine finishing and setting skills while gaining confidence in cast-in-place gemstone methods. We will be working in Sterling Silver and Cubic Zirconia.

About the Instructor:
Brienna holds a bachelor’s degree in sculpture with a minor in fiber arts from the Kansas City Art Institute. Her creative journey began as a photographer and milliner, where she honed her eye for composition, texture, and form through analog photography and the creation of sculptural headwear. Over time, this path evolved into Shrine Jewelry, where she unites her love of beauty, symbolism, and fine metalwork.

Working from her studio in Mendocino, California, Brienna creates jewelry that reflects both elegance, meaning and individuality. In addition to her studio practice, she shares her expertise through workshops on sand casting precious metals, keum-boo, and Argentium silver, teaching throughout Northern California and beyond. Mendocino Art Center Shrine Jewelry by Brienna Hall

Cast gemstones directly in silver using advanced sand casting techniques.

06/12/2026

Re/Fashion with Erin Daily - June 26, 27, & 28.

Old, broken, or unloved gold jewelry deserves a second chance. Let your scrap become a new element in your jewelry designs. In this 3 day workshop we will discover the potential sitting in your jewelry box. Bring your old jewelry pieces to review and remelt to refashion a new piece to wear. This course will begin by sorting through student pieces to consider for melting. We will use loupes to see what hallmarks or stamps may be visible, and scratch the surface on plating and gold fill. Clasps will be scrapped for the melt or saved for future use. Students will learn how to remove gemstones from their settings, which can be a more time consuming and tricky process than anticipated.

We will also discuss how to clean and prep your metal for melting. Once the metal is ready we will discuss alloying and the potential to change karating, freshen with new casting grain, and increase yield. Once a game plan is formed, the metal will be melted and poured into an ingot. This ingot will provide the new material for rolling into sheet or pulling into wire. If the resulting alloy isn’t suitable for these processes, we will change tactics and move onto simple direct casting methods, on a case by case basis.

The final piece that students will create will depend on the workability of their alloy, and the amount of material they have to design with. A simple ring, a pair of earrings, and a simple pendant will all be taught.

About the Instructor:
Trained as an artist, Erin is engaged in creative practices across disciplines with an emphasis on non-ferrous metalsmithing. Erin’s curiosity about materials and their cultural connections to the made world influences their art practice. Flatware and tools for the table, items that fit in the hand and reevaluate utility, are often subjects for investigation. Traditional goldsmithing practices from alloying, milling, forming and fabrication are worked alongside sculptural explorations in both jewelry and larger format objects.

From the physical act of making to that of wearing and handling, Erin finds jewelry and metalsmithing a captivating art form that encompasses her love of metal and interest in the human body’s relationship to objects. Erin has a great love for color gemstones and has worked extensively with them in her practice. This has fostered an ongoing interest in the mineral kingdom and the responsible sourcing of precious materials from across the globe.

Erin pursues teaching with the same interest and vigor as their investigations into making and showing art. She has taught extensively at schools including 92Y in NYC, University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Parsons School of Design, and currently at SUNY New Paltz and Brooklyn Metal Works. Erin’s artwork has been exhibited internationally and continues to be shown throughout the country.

Erin received an MFA in Metal from SUNY New Paltz, and a BFA in Metal from the University of Kansas. Since 2011 Erin co-owns and operates Brooklyn Metal Works and in 2019 opened Specific Gravity.

Mendocino Art Center

Remelt old jewelry and gold scrap to remake brilliant new jewelry pieces.

06/09/2026

Sweet & Savory Spoons Forging and Fabrication with Brian Weissman & Erin S. Daily – June 20 - 21
We are going to take a closer look at the wonderful & ubiquitous spoon. In this workshop we will heighten its attributes by designing it for your greatest indulgences - from ice cream to gravy!

In this 2 day course you will learn how to make your very own dessert spoon and small ladle. Two different spoon types will be taught. We will begin by designing a dessert spoon and then sawing out and forming the metal bowl. The handle will be shaped to your specifications and then soldered in place.

The second spoon will use a differently shaped and deeper bowl with the option to pull a small pouring spout. The handle attachment will have its own use considerations, and be forged from bar stock using stakes and hammers and a rolling mill. Through these basic introductions of simple forming and forging a spoon will be created.

Design embellishments such as carving with files and decorative stamping will be covered. Spoons will be completed with various finishing strategies and polishing.

The shaping and forming of the bowl of the spoon will be taught with the use of mallets and dapping punches in forming blocks. This method is called sinking and is very easy to control to create the desired effect. The edges of the bowl will be filed and sanded smooth.

The handle can incorporate step rolling and speed tapering to be finished with a planishing hammer or files as well as forging and twisting techniques. This element will be fitted to the bowl and soldered.
Mendocino Art Center

Use basic metalsmithing skills to make 2 spoons in silver, copper, or brass.

04/24/2026

Make a ring in a day using Argentium silver! Discover this luminous metal and its unique properties as you learn to fuse, texture, oxidize and shape it into your own design. Join me on May 23rd for this fun, hands-on workshop and leave with a one-of-a-kind Argentium silver ring. Registration is open—save your spot!

Create a silver ring using fused Argentium silver.