The 9 Best Creative Live Classes For Metalsmiths and Jewelry Designers
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Learning metalsmithing can be pretty hard, especially when you’ve never held a torch before in your life.
And the mediums of learning can give you a different experience. For example, I have readers of Maker Monologues tell me all the time they love the written format because they don’t have to stop, pause a video, rewind, etc. and I’m totally the same way. But, there are others who need to see the way the hand moves when creating jewelry.
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This is why I want to share with you all my best-kept secret for learning really, anything, but mostly, metalsmithing and jewelry design. And that platform is Creative Live!
Creative Live was started in 2009 by Chase Jarvis and Craig Swanson.
The goal was to take a fresh approach to education - to give anyone interested access to visionaries, leaders, and professionals who are doing the work.
So Creative Live was born! An online learning platform that houses hundreds of classes and courses on anything from learning a new craft to selling that craft online to living a healthy lifestyle and everything in between. It’s perfect for the creative/entrepreneur.
The classes are high-quality in-house studio productions that you can often watch for free or for really affordable prices.
I would be a little embarrassed to tell you how many classes I’ve taken (they can be very addicting, but it’s money well spent, that’s for sure).
Today, I want to share with you all my favorite classes I’ve taken in metalsmithing and jewelry design.
Creative Live just rolled out a new offer where you can subscribe to a monthly Creators Pass for just $15/month with an annual commitment, or $39 a month without the annual commitment.
However, if you get hooked on Creative Live as I did, I’d highly recommend their best deal which is the annual Creators Pass ass for just $149 (they used to charge $299 for this!)!
You can watch:
Any class
Anytime
For the entire year
For just $149!
Am I getting my excitement across the computer screen? If you do the math, a single class averages about $30-$50 and let’s say you watch 2 classes per month, I mean, do the math, it’s a crazy good deal!
$12.42/mo
$149 Billed Annually
$15/mo
Annual Commitment
Billed Monthly
$39/mo
Billed Monthly
Ok, let’s just get into the goods now. Here are my top 9 favorite Creative Live classes on metalsmithing and jewelry design.
1. Foundations in Metalsmithing: Statement Earrings
Ok, let me preface this by noting, you’re going to see quite a few classes from the awesome Megan Auman. She is a metalsmith and business owner who also teaches jewelers how to run their online business over at DesigninganMBA.com so go check out her world, I’ll be waiting.
Now, this class was a lot of fun to tune into.
In this class you’ll learn how to:
Choose the right tools and materials for your metal jewelry projects.
Design incredible (and comfortable to wear) statement earrings with balance and movement.
Saw and pierce to create any shape from sheet metal.
File and finish your metal pieces so they look professional.
Create your own ear wires to finish off your unique design.
Sticker Price: $49
Instructor: Megan Auman
Sample Review: “I love that Megan invites you into her studio (virtually) and reveals her design process. As someone completely new to metalsmithing and jewelry making, I felt like she made the topic approachable and doable. Statement earrings demystified!”
2. Beginning Soldering for Jewelry Making
In this class, you’ll learn:
Begin sawing and texturing
Butt-joint and sweat-joint soldering
Best practices for finishing a soldered pendant
Sticker Price: $29
Instructor: Bonnie Heras
Sample Review: “I can't wait to take the class again!”
3. Explorations in Metalsmithing: Creative Chain Making
In this class, you’ll learn how to:
Make and solder jump rings into a basic link-in link-chain.
Create variation in your chain making through wire gauge, link size, shape, and more.
Hone in on your aesthetic to find a style that’s uniquely you.
Finish your chains so they’re sturdy and stunning.
Turn your chain-making explorations into amazing earrings, bracelets, and necklaces.
Sticker Price: $49
Instructor: Megan Auman
Sample Review: “Megan is an awesome teacher! She is genuinely enthusiastic about sharing her metalsmithing skills with us. I am really looking forward to trying my hand at designing and making a chained necklace on my own soon.”
4. Beginning Wirework for Jewelry Making
In this class, you’ll learn:
Basic wire and plier work rules
Techniques for twisting wire varieties
Fusing, soldering, shaping, and finishing techniques for twisted wire jewelry
Sticker Price: $29
Instructor: Raïssa Bump
Sample Review: “This is a fantastic class for a beginning jewelry maker. Raissa is a wonderful teacher. She explains what she is doing as she does it and takes her time to make sure the student understands why she is doing each step. I have watched this class twice so far. The first time I made three different twisted wire pieces for bracelets. The second time through, I made two bracelets and three rings! Thank you CreativeLive for bringing Raissa Bump to your platform!”
5. Intermediate Forging for Jewelry Making
In this class, you’ll learn:
How to forge and form a simple bangle bracelet
Expert sawing techniques, tailored to your metal of choice
How to anneal, polish, and finish the final design
Sticker Price: $29
Instructor: Bonnie Heras
Sample Review: “Short and sweet. It is an intermediate class so it is assumed that there is a certain level of experience that the viewer has and doesn't rehash a lot of information. I appreciate that. I would add that there is a brass solder sold by Rio Grande. I have been using it for several years and it is a great color match.”
6. Foundations in Metalsmithing: Bracelets
In this class, you’ll learn how to:
Create a unique cuff bracelet by forming wire and sheet.
Join metal without a torch by riveting.
Solder wire and sheet into different shapes.
Make hinges (with or without a torch) to take your bracelet designs to the next level.
Finish your designs and experiment with color on metal through patinas.
Sticker Price: $49
Instructor: Megan Auman
Sample Review: “I really enjoyed this class! It was very informative and gave me a lot of ideas for expanding a jewelry line to include a variety of bracelets and finishes.”
7. Intermediate Chain Making for Jewelry Making
In this class, you’ll learn:
Basic chain making techniques
How to make jump rings in many shapes and sizes
Annealing to soften jewelry
Sticker Price: $29
Instructor: Bonnie Heras
Sample Review: “I thought Bonnie was very informative, however I didn’t like the camera angles. Most classes I take, the focus is the table and shows the teachers hands. Thank you Bonnie, I enjoyed you short class.”
8. Beginning Stamping for Jewelry Making
In this class, you’ll learn how to:
Saw, file, and prepare metal for stamping
Stamp metal to create a quilted look
Solder metal onto a sized and shaped ring
Sticker Price: $29
Instructor: Raïssa Bump
9. Explorations in Metalsmithing: Hollow Fabrication
In this class, you’ll learn how to:
Make three-dimensional forms in metal - including spheres, cones, and organic shapes, and more.
Use hollow fabrication techniques to create your own ring.
Tackle more complicated soldering projects. (Without investing in more tools.)
Finish your forms so they’re sturdy and stunning.
Turn your hollow fabrication explorations into amazing earrings, bracelets, and pendants.
Sticker Price: $49
Instructor: Megan Auman
Sample Review: “After watching Megan solder in this class, I felt like it was something I could take on. There's a lot of soldering in this class! But there's also a lot you can do without soldering that's covered. I have a better understanding of how jewelry is made from this class. I'm looking at things that I own and thinking that I now know how to recreate them!”
Now, when you add up all these awesome classes it will cost you about $350. That’s a lot more than the $149 you can pay to get the annual Creators Pass and watch as many classes as you want all year long! Now do you see why I’m so excited about this new Creators Pass?
Have you taken any of these classes already? I can say I’ve taken all of Megan Auman’s classes (before Creative Live started offering the Creators Pass, yikes!). Let me know what you think about these classes and which one you’re most excited to watch!
