PRESQUE ISLE – Jewelry Creation and Design, a nine-hour hands on course that will teach participants how to make their own jewelry, will begin Saturday, Jan. 23 at Northern Maine Community College. The course will meet from 9 a.m.-noon Saturdays – Jan. 23, Jan. 30 and Feb. 6.
“It’s fun when you learn to make jewelry for yourself, your friends or family, or for profit. These three classes will teach you basic jewelry making techniques and designs. You can make the same kind of jewelry you’ve seen in magazines and stores, using simple tools and materials: pliers, wire, cord, lampwork beads, as well as beads made of wood, silver, copper, or glass for accent,” said Laura McPherson, who will be teaching the course. “After practicing a bit, you’ll get wonderful results. From then on, your jewelry will take shape with the aid of your own imagination and creativity.”
McPherson is the co-owner of Sunrise Beads in Mapleton. Using glass and other materials, McPherson and her husband, Randy, make beads which they market to jewelry designers all over the world. She has been making jewelry for four years, while she and her husband have been creating glass lampwork beads for nine years. Lampworking is the sculpting of glass rods by heating and melting the glass in the flame of a gas-powered torch. The torch worker has a high degree of control over how melted the glass becomes, as a result they are able to create pieces with immaculate detail and complexity.
While participants will each receive a bead kit, personalized based on their individual color choices, they are expected to provide some of their own tools for the course. A tool list will be provided upon registration. The cost of the course is $65, plus the cost of supplies, which is approximately $15. The class is limited to 10 people.
For those looking to take jewelry design skills to the next level, Wig Jig Jewelry is a four-hour course introducing the latest wire wrapping techniques. The Wig Jig is an innovative tool which, by means of accurately placed pins or guides, allows the reproduction of perfect shapes in wire. Participants will use different colors and sizes of wire to embellish their bead jewelry designs in ways not possible using other jewelry-making techniques. The class will be held Saturday, Feb. 27 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. The cost of the course is $39 (plus supplies).
For more information or to register for either of these jewelry-making courses, contact the college’s continuing education division at 768-2849.
