A new hobby
Find out if silversmithing is for you
If you’ve wondered whether metalsmithing could be your thing, four weeks is enough to know, and enough to leave with real skills.
What you'll make · 4 sessions · 4 seats
Step by step, at your own bench
- IWeek one: a ring
- IIWeek two: a pendant
- IIIWeek three: a cuff
- IVWeek four: a pair of earrings
Start to finish
How the four weeks build
For people who want more than one afternoon. Over four sessions you build real bench skills one piece at a time, each week building on the last, in a group of no more than four.
- I
Week one: a ring
The fundamentals: forming silver, soldering with a torch, and setting a stone in a bezel. Everything after builds on this.
“She explained everything really well and made it easy!”
Christin - II
Week two: a pendant
A bigger stone, a bigger bezel, and your first bail. You’ll notice how much faster the torch work comes.
- III
Week three: a cuff
A wider piece of sterling to shape and set: the most ambitious piece of the four.
- IV
Week four: a pair of earrings
Two matching pieces, using everything you’ve learned. You leave with four pieces and the skills to keep going.
Included in the price
Bring nothing but yourself.
- ISterling and fine silver for your piece
- IINatural and semi-precious stones, hand-picked. You choose yours.
- IIIEvery tool, torch, and supply at your own bench
- IVSmall-class instruction, two to four people
- VA finished piece you made, to keep or give
Who comes to class
Who books the four-week workshop
A standing plan with friends
Something to look forward to every week
Book seats with a friend or two and turn it into a weekly plan, with four finished pieces each to show for it.
Experience gift
A gift for the maker in your life
Reserve a seat in their name or send a gift card and let them choose the date. They get an afternoon at the bench and a piece of sterling jewelry they made themselves.
Buy a gift card434 reviews · 97% five-star
From the four-week workshop
“From cultivating the most welcoming space, having excellent tools and supplies, to having beautiful stones to work with, it was all perfection. Sarah is a wonderful teacher. Warm, welcoming, and inspiring!”
Brianna · Four-Week Workshop
“Highly recommend for anyone who wants to learn about metal smithing and make beautiful jewelry with a wonderful teacher.”
Jo Anne · Four-Week Workshop
Questions
Questions about the four-week workshop
Is silversmithing hard to learn?
The basics are very learnable in an afternoon. Most of my students have never soldered anything before they sit down at the bench. Getting really good takes practice, which is what the four-week workshop is for, but you don’t need experience or any special skill to make a piece you’re proud of. The four-week workshop →
What’s the difference between a metalsmith and a silversmith?
Metalsmith is the broad name for anyone who shapes metal by hand. A silversmith works mostly in silver. These workshops teach silversmithing: everything you make is sterling and fine silver.
What’s the difference between sterling silver and fine silver?
Fine silver is 99.9% pure: soft, bright, and easy to push over a stone, which makes it ideal for bezels. Sterling is 92.5% silver mixed with a little copper for strength, so it holds up as a ring band, a cuff, or an ear wire. In class you work with both, and both are included in the price.
What is a bezel setting?
A bezel is a thin band of silver that wraps around the edge of a stone. Once it’s soldered in place, you gently push the top edge over the stone so it’s held all the way around. It’s one of the oldest and most secure ways to set a stone, and it’s the setting you learn in every workshop here.
What should I wear to a jewelry making class?
Comfortable clothes you don’t mind getting a little dirty, and closed-toe shoes. Tie back long hair and skip loose sleeves or dangly scarves, since you’ll be working near a torch. Everything else, from tools to safety gear, is at your bench.
Getting here
Classes for Spokane and the Inland Northwest
The studio is in Valleyford, just south of Spokane Valley and 23 minutes from downtown Spokane. It’s an easy drive from the South Hill and Liberty Lake, and under an hour from Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls, so students come from all over the Inland Northwest.
Spokane · Spokane Valley · South Hill · Liberty Lake · Valleyford · Coeur d’Alene · Post Falls · North Idaho
Coming from Coeur d’Alene or Post Falls?Questions before you book?
Ask Sarah about a class
Not sure which workshop suits you, or hoping to bring a group? Send a note and Sarah will reply by email. This doesn’t reserve a seat — seats are booked through the class calendar.