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©
Tracey Bell 2003 |
Friday 26th August 2005
Jewellery Wire Working for Beginners

Tutor : Kate Drew-Wilkinson (USA) web
This beginner's class covers learning to use wire working tools, understanding
different gauges of wire and why they're used, studying different findings
available on the market and how to make them work in jewellery making, relative
to the size and weight of different beads. Students will learn to make simple
earrings and bar pins, and to combine beads with chain to make professional
level jewellery. The class is extremely interactive and Kate willingly shares
her suppliers and contacts with her pupils.

You will be provided with four small jewellery tools to use in the class. These tools will be available for you to buy afterwards if you so wish.
There will be a special cloth provided so that the beads stay close and don’t roll away!
You will use practice wire at first, probably copper, and then you will move on to use silver wire. You will work with glass beads, all the same colour, Cobalt blue, so that you do not have to agonize over choices as you learn to twist the wire into earrings, pins, bracelets and necklaces.
The work will be classical
and simple. I have learned that pieces made this way are the most wearable
and, if you wish, easy to sell. You will be able to use the same techniques
to design jewellery with your own lamp work beads,
but you will not be using your beads in my class & simply the cobalt glass
bead kits provided.
Each of you will find
Kates’ small book on wire working waiting at your work
station. These will be available for you to buy afterwards if you like.
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Please go to my web page www.katedrew-wilkinson.com
and go to the section where my articles from the Lapidary Journal are to
be found. You can download them if you wish.
Kate Drew-Wilkinson
Designs
Author, lecturer, bead maker and jewellery designer