We still have spots available for Anne's Stamped Mokume Gane Pendant live online workshop in March but March 5th is the deadline to order your kit for U.S. shipping (March 12th for local pick ups). This is a great opportunity to create - from start to finish - a beautiful mokume gane pendant to wear or give as a special gift. It's also a rare chance to get your hands on one of Anne's exclusive mokume blanks in a color combo she usually reserves for her own works - silver/copper/brass. These photos are from her previous class last year. Keep in mind that you also get a handsome Certificate of Completion and a ticket for our famous end-of-class raffle where we give away gift certificates and sometimes...mokume goodies! All details and registration at annevillestudio.com/classes-and-workshops.html.

The past two days have been great fun hosting a group of 15 students learning mokume gane chisel patterning. Jewelry metals instructor Anne Wolf totally updated this class with new techniques and high-res video and the quality really showed. Plus it was just so much fun with students in attendance from California to Alaska to Washington DC and points in between. We even had the fabulous Francesca Urciuoli Zooming in from Berlin. The students shared a lot of great info (like using old hex keys for chisel stock) and fun photos (MKaye bundled up for a snowy outdoor lunch), but mostly we all enjoyed learning about patterning mokume from Anne...and each other. The work speaks for itself, here are just a few of the pieces created.  

Guided by award-winning jewelry designer Ileana Rojas-Bennett, our virtual trip to meet the Maleku people of Costa Rica was great fun. We learned about their village system and ingenious home construction techniques and then viewed hand-painted seed jewelry, colorful masks and intricately-carved gourds. We even learned a few words in the Maleku language - capi capi means Hello! Next, Anne showed us a great approach for making brooch backs (including two special tricks) and we announced the details of our brand new call for art...Emerge. While we weren't able to record the live episode, we do have a video of Anne's brooch back/pin demo. Read on for photos, resource links and the video demo.  ​​

One of our Metal Arts Adventures presenters has brought us a really cool opportunity. Metalsmith and lapidarist Sky Paxton donates jewelry to Guadelupe Home, a transitional shelter for pregnant and parenting mothers who find themselves homeless. This year, he's inviting us to join him in providing pieces to their fundraiser auction. Finished, boxed pieces valued between $150-$500 need to be mailed to Sky by April 25th and he will submit them to the auction folks. So far we have two spots filled - Sky and Anne Wolf - so we're looking for just 6 more people.

If you would like to join in just let us know in the comments  below and we will follow up. Thank you!!

Over twenty metalsmiths gathered on Tuesday evening and we had a great time seeing new works, oogling a gigantic ruby, meeting new people and catching up with old friends (a few who were seeing each other for the first time in 20 years!). In between we talked more about brooch pins, learned lapidary terms, heard about a tool making project, checked out some new home studios and compared notes on current online class offerings - all while working away on our own projects. Read on for more photos and resource links.

Resource links:

• Anne's current mokume gane classes.
• Brand new book recommended by Jose Quiet Elegance by famed metal arts instructor Eleanor Moty .
• Interesting site for info on gems shared by Patty Rare Gem Collection.
• Some nifty free videos by instructor Leslie Villareal (including a handy one on setting up an oxygen concentrator).
  

Thursday, February 21st from 5-6pm Pacific Time
Meet & Greet starts at 4:45pm.
Online via Zoom
Take a virtual trek deep into the heart of the Costa Rican rainforest to visit the Maleku people, see how they create their hand-painted seed jewelry and learn about their unique language and culture with award-winning jewelry designer Ileana Rojas-Bennett. Next, Anne's will show us a great approach to making brooch backs (there's a trick to it!) and we'll announce the details about our brand new call for art. Stick around till the end for our lively Q&A discussion of all things metal arts from torch tips to patina particulars. MAAA is a FREE weekly online metal arts live show. In this fun, interactive gathering we offer demos, share tips & tricks, feature work by artists and students from around the world, go on virtual studio tours, discuss historical metal arts traditions and share resources. You're invited to join in! Need help with a tricky soldering job? Wondering if a tip you saw really works? Want to give us a tour of your studio or recommend an instructor? Submit a question or segment idea and we'll follow up. Send it in! ​

Next Sawing Circle is Tuesday, February 9th, 5-7pm
Thursdays were just too packed with cool metal arts stuff so we've moved our Sawing Circle to Tuesdays starting this month. Our Sawing Circle is like a book club but instead of reading, we work on cool stuff, help each other with problems, share ideas and provide accountability for ongoing work. If you've been looking for support for moving forward on your projects during quarantine then this is the online gathering for you. Join us from your studio to work in the good conversation and company of like-minded friends. Totally free, no need to RSVP, simply make yourself a nice snack, settle down at your bench and click the link to join in via Zoom. We're also looking for volunteers to fill in one night a month to help take our Sawing Circle weekly. Interested? Fill out our Volunteer Form.