This intensive, hands-on studio course introduces students to the foundational skills, materials, and conceptual frameworks of contemporary jewelry through the design and fabrication of a finished chain. Beginning with essential bench practices, students build technical fluency while examining the historical and cultural role of chains as both functional and symbolic objects.
As the course progresses, students learn heat-based processes such as soldering and basic forming, then move into modular link design, pattern development, and structural problem-solving. Emphasis is placed on precision, repeatability, and craftsmanship, as well as on the relationship between hand processes, digital planning, and material behavior.
The course culminates in the completion of a fully wearable chain. Group critiques and demonstrations support the development of both technical skill and critical language for discussing objects.
This course is suitable for beginners and early-intermediate students and provides a foundation for continued study in jewelry, metals, and object-based art.
Anticipated Credit Equivalencies:
8 - Fine Metals: Jewelry Chain Making
Registration
Academic Details
visual arts, fine metal working, jewelry making
$100 required studio lab fee