In this 4-credit course students will learn how to cut from stone slabs to create cabochons and then learn to set them in projects created in brass, copper, and sterling silver. The safe and proper use of lapidary equipment will be covered including but not limited to a slab saw, trim saw, and cabochon machine. In addition, students will learn foundational metalsmithing skills to create projects that will incorporate the cabochons they create in the class. These skills include: drilling, sawing, cold connections, high temperature torch soldering, forming, and polishing techniques.
Reading materials will supplement technical demonstrations, provide information on the gemstone trade industry, and the historical and contemporary context of precious and semiprecious stones that are commonly used as cabochons. Students will participate in class discussions and a final peer critique in both oral and written form.
Please note, this is an intensive schedule. It takes place over three weekends and each class is a 7-hour meeting time with intermittent breaks.
Students will receive a kit with all the metals and stones necessary to create the required projects.
Anticipated Credit Equivalencies:
4 - Metalsmithing
Registration
Academic Details
$170 total required fee covers metal and stones for required projects ($120) and studio lab fee ($50).