Here's how to convert a color photo to black & white and then invert it for etching - all using free online software.

For more graphic design tips and tricks check out my free online video 1-minute series. 

From sharing new creations and tips & tricks to chit chatting about jewelry metal arts topics, our live Tuesday night Sawing Circle has continued to be an online creative oasis for metal arts geeks throughout April and May. June's hosts include Dale in Anchorage (AK), Carmen in Laguna Nigel (CA), Jan in San Jose (CA) and Garage Kathe, Ame and Anne here in sunny San Diego. We sometimes have interesting surprise guests too! So feel free to join us any Tuesday from 5-7pm Pacific Time. No RSVP or emails needed, simply click the link on our Home page and bring your questions or latest creations for show & tell.

Come with us to Japan to meet master mokume gane metalsmith and designated National Treasure  Norio Tamagawa! We tour his home, work a bit in his studio and even enjoy tea hosted by his wife, who is a master in the art of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Afterwards we take a spectacular hike up Mt. Yahiko to commune with the gods of mokume (well, most of the trip is by tram...) plus, we hear stories and see some great photos from Yoko and Karen, metalsmiths who also recently visited Tsubame-Sanjo area and made their own cool metalsmithing discoveries. News alert! We are also excited to announce that we're now accepting entries for Emerge, our brand new juried online show. Continue on for photos.

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).
  

Journey with us into the colorful, 500 year old labyrinth of Istanbul's Grand Bazaar guided by San Diego jewelry student & artist Karen Savel. We'll marvel at the ancient arches, see local jewelers at work in their tiny shop, walk in the footsteps of Rick Steve's and visit a gold smelter, stop to watch a street lapidarist at work and finish off with some classic Turkish delights. Next, we sit back and enjoy an informative how-to by enamelist Kay Yee as she shows us her method for creating blackboard brooches. Kay also shares a great list of resources including an inexpensive starter kit and online classes. Read more for resource links.

Thursday, January 14th 5-7pm PST
​Meet & Greet starts at 4:45pm
This week, guest instructor Anne Wolf shares a guide (from the forum on Ganoksin.com) for making a scoring tool. Scoring tools are useful for all sorts of things, from box making to adding texture to sheet. We'll discuss how to go about making the tool. Anne will also show how to create texture using a scorer she made while taking an online class from Ford Hallam.
Our monthly 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 some support for moving forward on your projects during quarantine then this is the place. 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.