Vision:DIY Design & Learning Studio

August 15, 2013

I often thought of trying my hand at jewelry making. But hammers, torches, and molten metal all seemed a bit a scary. In 2007 I read about precious metal clay and that was it. You could start with a clay like substance and a creme brulee torch and end up with silver jewelry? I could do that. I was obsessed and spent the next year immersed in learning a multitude of different techniques.

Now that I had had a taste of working with metals all those other things didn’t seem so scary and I continued with my education. I delved into stone setting, soldering, stamping, engraving and on and on….I recently hired Joolie Curcuru who comes to us with a degree in metals from UMASS and 3 years under her belt at Tiffany’s & Co. The learning continues everyday and keeps us inspired.

Precious metal clay was the spark that set this all into motion. It’s amazing and fun to work with and I would love to share this amazing art form with as many people as possible.

Phase 2 of our store will be what I am calling the DIY Design & Learning Studio.

I designed a little logo for it:)

So our plan for this studio is a combination of party packages as well as a regular Open Studio Night.

Party Packages will be a 2 to 3 hour hands on experience where you will be given the tools, materials, instructions and guidance to create pendants, earrings, or whatever your heart desires in .999 fine silver. You will have one to two instructors dedicated to your private group for the duration of your event. When your party is complete your pieces will be ready for the kiln. We will fire and finish them for you and they can be picked up at a later date. We’re going to start with seating and tools for 6 people. Everyone will have their own station with a complete set of all the basic tools they will need plus shared access to all sorts of cool textures, molds and stamps and other fun tools. Plus we can even show you how to make your own molds and textures from objects you bring in!

Open Studio Night will come a little later, when we have more help, but I would love to host an Open Studio every Thursday night. We’ll keep the store open late that night too for evening shoppers. You’ll be able to reserve one or more of the 6 seats for a small fee. ($15-20 per seat) You will have access to all of our tools to make whatever you wish and will include firing of your pieces. You can bring your own metal clay or you can purchase it from us.

About the Instructors:

Julie Booras – The founder of Heart and Stone Jewelry has a BA in Fine Arts from the George Washington University. After several years working in video production at Tom Snyder Productions Julie left to start a family. In 2007 Julie began working with precious metal clay which led to a second career in Jewelry Design.

Joolie Curcuru –  Joolie comes to Heart & Stone with a BFA in Jewelry Metals from UMASS Dartmouth. After college she spent 3 years working as a craftsman at Tiffany’s & Co. Joolie has taught several area workshops in jewelry making, silversmithing and enameling.

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