Refining and Picking Up Tips

During the spring of 2000, I took an Introduction to Jewelrymaking at the local university. I learned basic techniques like sawing, filing and sanding. I didn't have any jeweler's tools yet so I wasn't able to continue working on metal.

Here I am a few years later and want to add more metal work to my designs. Last fall, I picked up Susan Lenart Kazmer's Cold Connections and worked on the bowl bezels ideas in her book. I didn't have a saw so I was cutting the sheet metal using metal shears. I needed a refresher on the basic techniques I'd learned in that first class I took in 2000.

Interweave was having their annual Hurt Book Sale so I picked up Mark Lareau's Getting Started Making Metal Jewelry.

I have Mark's other book on wire and it's one I used over and over so I was excited to see he was the author of this introductory book.

It's a good introductory book for metal. There is a list of basic tools you'll need. I went through my tools and ordered the few things I needed to fill in. As I was saying, I needed a refresher on the sawing - this fit the bill.