Jewelry 101 NYC

On Friday, October 7th I'll be in New York City at Tinsel Trading teaching our Jewelry 101 Workshop. If you have ever taken one of our jewelry classes before - you know the drill - but for those of you have wondered what it's all about - here is a quick breakdown of the basic techniques taught in the class:

We start with the chain, measure it to our wrist and then connect a clasp on one end and a jump ring on the opposite end. Next, we thread beads onto head pins and then cut and loop the headpins onto the chain, using a pair of round nose pliers.

After mastering the technique of cutting and looping to create the chain jangle, we make up a handful of old charms by gluing the glass cabochons (or stones) to the corresponding brass bezel - they fit together like puzzle pieces.

After the charms have set, we lay them out and begin designing the bracelet - moving around the parts until we find the right balance. Once we have all of the glass and brass charms in a pleasing order, we connect the charms onto the chain by using jump rings and a pair of flat nose piers. At this point, the bracelet is starting to come together and we could stop here...but if you are up for the challenge, we'll keep going....

Using eye pins, we will thread a series of beads onto each pin and then cut and loop the wire to each other to form what is known as a rosary chain. We will connect either end of the rosary chain to opposite ends of the charm chain to make up a second strand.

And voila - the bracelet is finished - with very few tears! For a special finishing touch, we will add a bit of silk ribbon so that the bracelet can be worn as a necklace by tying the ribbon around your neck.

That's it - simple and beautiful - and all hand made by you! If you live in the New York area and would like to join us for this special evening,, sign up at Tinsel Trading or please call 212 730-1030 to reserve your spot. Merci!