Fall/Winter 2023 at IFAC

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Aug-Sept 2023: Basic Enameling and Jewelry Basic enameling and surface detail techniques on copper. Class projects are butterfly focused. I will be using them in small frames and shadow boxes, but students can make them into jewelry like pendants and earrings. www.yourirvine.org

Oct-Nov 2023: Cloisonne Enameling - All Levels I'm still working on a new design for returning students. This class is appropriate for beginners and intermediate/advanced. Registration opens in mid-August. Call IFAC for exact date and time.

Dec 7 and 14: (NEW) Tube Setting Tube setting is a beautiful way to set round faceted gemstones, which provide a colored accent to hand crafted metal jewelry. You will use setting burs on sterling silver tubing to cut the seat, and use tools to set the stones securely in place. Students will solder them into a sample project, like a pendant. Class kit is $15 and will include sterling silver tubing, setting burs, and a number of 2.5mm stones with which to practice. A few basic metalsmithing tools to be brought by students. Students should have basic metalsmithing experience, i.e. at least one prior class in metalsmithing or enameling. Registration opens November 17.

Summer 2023

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I will be teaching one 5 day immersive cloisonne workshop IN PERSON at The Loft Jewelry Studio in Anaheim, California. Registration open now! This workshop is all about designing a cloisonné piece to pair with a "wow" stone into a finished brooch or pendant. I will be working with you ahead of time with stone selection and design, so that we can hit-the-ground-running in the workshop. You do not need prior enamelling experience. However, if you plan to have a completed piece of jewelry, you do need to have intermediate soldering skills. You don't need to be a rock star metalsmith, but in general you should feel confident creating medium-to-large sized bezel settings. www.theloftjewelrystudio.com

Color Starter Kit

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I have put together a Color Starter Kit for people who are ready to create traditional leaded cloisonné, but may be overwhelmed by the hundreds of color choices available. The kit is available at www.enamelartsupply.com I put this together initially for my upcoming Pocosin cloisonné workshop, but I really want to share this with everyone. It is the culmination of months of experimentation! My main goal with this kit is to keep cost low - it contains just the basic color families you will likely need to get started with traditional cloisonné.


Here is a link to download a PDF list of the color kit enamels, organized by color family: Color Kit List


In Process...

See all my latest work on Instagram @jtower_jewelry


Where to purchase Jill's work?

Only on Instagram! I post pieces as they become available. DM for questions and pricing. The link to my Instagram is here: @jtower_jewelry

Videos

This video demonstrates the progression of firing the layers of color on the cloisonne body of my Great Horned Owl necklace.