My Favorite Jewelry Sanding Tip!

Credit Given: I learned this from my teacher, Brad Smith at Venice Community Adult School (soon to be Venice Skills Center)...the technique was further explained by my friend Ruth Shapiro (Artisan and Judaica Designer - http://growingupjewish.com ) at the 2008 Demo Day held by Metal Artists Society of So. Calif. (MASSC - http://www.massconline.com ).

The following question has come up several times on forums:

May I ask what files or tools do you use to file the edges inside the piercings so smooth?

If you want a great trick to get into tiny piercings...

Take a sheet of sand paper (choose appropriate grit for your piece)

Turn it grit side down on the table

Cover the back of it with strips of packing tape (the kind with the nylon threads running through it)

Cut strips as thin as you need them to be to fit inside the piercing you are working on.

These strips can be used to thread thru the piercings and, if you have a vise, hold on each end - use a sawing motion to sand.

If you don't have a vise to hold your piece then you can thread the strip thru your piece and actually load the strip into your jewelers saw - voila - you have a hand free to hold your piece!

Photos Courtesy of Yolanda Lumel's Camera Phone with the permission of Judy Bapties (isn't that a great bracelet?)! Thanks Lulu and Judy!

Lark Book Call for Entries - 30 Minute Earrings

Just a little reminder about our 30-Minute Earrings call for artists (see below). 

If you've already submitted a proposal, thanks so much! 

If not, we hope you'll consider doing so. 

Thank you, 

--  

Gavin R. Young, Assistant  Editor 

Lark Books 

67 Broadway 

Asheville, NC 28801

828.253.0467 Ext. 730

828.253.7952 Fax 

www.larkbooks. com

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Jewelry Design Challenge: 30-Minute Earrings
Editor: Marthe Le Van
Entry Deadline: January 26, 2009

Are you a skilled and imaginative jewelry designer who is up for a challenge? Great! Your mission is to design a pair of earrings that can be made in 30 minutes flat.

30-Minute Earrings will showcase more than 50 incredibly stylish step-by-step projects that can be created without investing too much of a valuable commodity—time! The selected earring designs will be modern and sophisticated and encompass many different styles and techniques. The common denominator will be fast projects that look terrific! 

PS: In 30-Minute Earrings, we won’t be teaching fundamental jewelry making techniques. Designers can assume that their readers are already proficient (and quick!) at skills such as sawing, soldering, and finishing. 

Accept the challenge! Download an entry form here:  http://www.larkbooks.com/submissions/artist-submissions

2009 GIA Education Catalog - Online NOW!

GIA's 2009 Education Catalog Now Accessible Online

Press Release  Posted: 01/16/09 16:31

RAPAPORT...  CARLSBAD: The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) announced today that the Institute’s 2009 Education Catalog is now available and has been entirely redesigned to better meet the needs of students. The catalog is also accessible online, making information about a GIA education more obtainable worldwide.

The 2009 GIA Education Catalog is complete in one booklet that contains all course and program descriptions, important dates, schedules, and updated tuitions and fees for campuses around the world. “The new catalog provides an enlightening, easy-to-use resource for individuals wanting to pursue a gemological education, particularly during a challenging time,” said Kathryn Kimmel, vice president and chief marketing officer of GIA. “We are in a difficult economy, and now more than ever, people are turning to education to take them to the next level in their careers.” 

To receive a free catalog by mail, go to www.gia.edu/education, or to download or view onlin

e, copy and paste the following URL into a web browser:http://viewer.zmags.com/showmag.php?mid=wrgrrr#/page0/. For more information please contact a GIA Admissions representative at 800.421.7250 ext. 4001 or via e-mail atadmissions@gia.edu. From outside the U.S. and Canada, call 760.603.4001.