Upcoming Events at the Studio

Many years ago, I purchased my casting studio equipment from a jeweler in Taos, NM.  He had also purchased this equipment used from somebody else.  The centrifugal casting equipment I purchased all those years ago has been well-loved, casting thousands of pieces throughout the past decade. But this year, it was time for an upgrade!  So I turned to the experts at Rio Grande Jewlery Supply and purchased new equipment so I can cast more pieces at one time, and achieve more consistency.    It's a huge learning curve for me, as I've gotten so used to the centrifugal casting method....

One of the most exciting elements of metalsmithing is exposure to some of the most beautiful and colorful gems and minerals.  Meltdown Studio offers ongoing Lapidary (stone cutting) classes which allow students to find minerals, slab them, and turn them into cabochons ready for setting into jewelry of all kinds.  Are all minerals suitable for use in jewelry?  Check out the The Mohs scale of mineral hardness:  a qualitative ordinal scale characterizing scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of harder material to scratch softer material.

... by Meltdown Studio  

Meltdown Studio ((the school)) has been around for a whole DECADE now!  And one of the best transitions we are experiencing is the opportunity to bring in guest instructors to share their skills and techniques.  This weekend we are excited offer a class by wire working artist, Bevin Moon, who will be sharing the awesome pattern for this tree of life pendant.  What a cool way to showcase an amazing gemstone, especially if you don't have access to all the tools and equipment.  What do you need??  Some pliers, and some cutters, and an open mind!   

2016 has been a year of personal challenge and studio-wide accomplishments at Meltdown Studio!  We have taught, learned, created, MELTED, laughed, and met so many wonderful friends.  Jewelry has tied us all together, helped us form bonds of respect, admiration, and love, and connect with friends across the country.  This thunderbird bracelet found its home all the way in Dallas, TX, where a lovely mother+daughter team decided to "share" it...  We're all looking forward to a new year, a new start, and putting into action the plans and designs that have been developing inside our minds.  What are you most...