The leaves are turning, the air is crisp, it’s time to get back in the studio and take a class with us!
Make your own Holiday gifts this year in one of our 6-week classes like Intro to Silversmithing , or Intro to Wax Carving
FALL+WINTER 2016 COURSE CATALOG
Lights, camera, action … right?!
If only it were that easy. Photographing jewelry takes an appreciation for light, color, and focus and can be difficult to master let alone learn on one’s own.
Choosing the right background to make your piece pop, natural vs. studio light, props and garnishes – all of these things matter when trying to make your piece stand out.
We’re running a great four hour intensive on Sunday, September 11th with Photographer Nick Papadakis, a NYC based artist with extensive product photography experience.
Using your own jewelry and your own phone, you’ll learn how to utilize common objects and light sources to showcase your pieces in the best possible way without the use of a fancy (and expensive) professional camera.
Here are some beautiful shots from last year’s session… and yes these were taken by a smartphone! We only have 2 spots left – can’t wait for you to join us!
Saturday + Sunday | July 16 + 17 | 11am-5:00pm | $240 | Register Now!
In this weekend workshop we’ll be exploring different styles and techniques to create your Perfect Pendant. Learn to construct bezel settings for cabochon, faceted gemstones, and fancy shaped stones. Working with sterling silver, we use hammer and stamps, as well as high polish, and oxidized finishes to accentuate textures and highlight designs. Students may bring their own stones or purchase from the tutor’s collection. Materials are provided.
Check out some of our students amazing work!!!
Next weekend we’re hosting a super fun Weekend Workshop on Etching!
Saturday + Sunday | Jun 25+26 |11am-5pm | $240 | Register Now!
In this two day weekend workshop students will discover how to create raised patterns in metal without using any special equipment! You’ll learn how to transfer images onto metal to etch a variety designs using a low toxic and safe method. Etching is the process of using chemicals to cut a design or pattern into a metal surface. Etching your own designs into metal is a fun and rewarding way to customize your jewelry!
Class covers a variety of resist processes including ink transfer techniques and free hand solutions. We will also be covering basic metalsmithing techniques like drilling, filing, refining, and a variety of polishing and sealing methods, so this class is open to beginners as well as intermediate and advanced students.
Extra materials will be provided.
We spent a little time in the studio perfecting the technique this week, here’s some fun action shots:
Here’s the pieces after they’ve come out:
And here’s a couple styles of the final products!
This weekend we’re hosting a super fun one day workshop on Salt Casting!
Saturday | Jun 11 |11am-5pm | $179 | Register Now!
Salt Casting is the art of melting metal to its molten form and then pouring it over salt. This creates spontaneous forms and unusual shapes. In this workshop we learn how to recycle metal, create many different alloys, pour metal into different forms, and fabricate jewelry out of the salt cast pieces. Your old jewelry and scraps (gold, silver, copper) can be cast into new and wondrous forms. The salt cast pieces can be made into earrings, pendants, and pins during the workshop. Extra materials will be provided.
We spent a little time in the studio perfecting the technique this week, here’s some fun action shots:
Here’s the pieces after they’ve come out:
And here’s the final products!
So you’ve taken a few jewelry making classes, have a fabulous idea for a jewelry collection and have began making samples, but wait! Have you thought about marketing? How about how to set up a business in New York? How to apply for a sales tax certificate, and when to collect it?
Running a Jewelry Business is more than designing and making jewelry. In fact, there are many more aspects to business that most designers aren’t aware of when they try to launch a new jewelry line. But don’t fret – we’ve got two classes coming up covering these topics among other valuable practical knowledge for starting and running a successful jewelry business.
Business for Designers (April 3 | Sunday | $120 | 11am-5pm) is all about learning how to start a jewelry business. You’ll learn about different types of businesses from sole proprietorship to a corporation, different laws and taxes you’ll need to know, as well as building a web presence and marketing your work.
Jewelry Production (April 3 | $120 | Saturday | 11am-5pm) is all about developing a coherent line for production, production techniques, selling retail vs. wholesale, and much more. You’ll also have an opportunity to bring in a few samples, and to discuss individual questions in a one-on-one setting with the instructor.
Take them together, and you’ll set yourself up for a successful business launch!
We absolutely love Emilie Shapiro’s work so much. Not just her incredible use of natural stone elements and recycled metals but how she pairs them with contemporary techniques and experimentation that are incorporated into her work as a celebration of the beauty of natural imperfection. All production and resources are kept as local as possible, and every piece is handmade in Emilie’s studio in New York City.
She’s also one of our dear friends and a Liloveve instructor. Emilie has a fantastic book launching April 5th at Artist & Fleas, however we have her giving a lecture in Jewelry Production here at the studio April 2, check out more info here.
Here’s a fun Q & A we had with the talented designer:
Liloveve Studio: When did you first start making jewelry?
Emilie Shapiro: I started making jewelry when I was 13 and haven’t stopped since!
LS: What class(es) have you taught at Liloveve?
ES: I’ve taught just about everything but focus on wax carving, jewelry production and special techniques like keum boo and water casting.
LS: Where do you draw your inspiration when designing your work?
ES: Textures, color and movement in nature. I studied dance for twenty years and am very inspired by how the body moves and how pieces move with the body.
LS: Where do you exhibit / sell your work?
ES: My work is sold in galleries, museums and specialty boutiques nationally like Anthropologie, Sundance Catalog and The American Museum of Natural History.
LS: Have you been featured in any press?
ES: My work has been featured in publications such as Vogue Japan, Elle Greece and Brooklyn Magazine.
LS: What’s your favorite piece you’ve ever made?
ES: That’s a difficult question because it always changes! My current favorite piece is the mosaic wilted collar. The construction and movement of this piece are really wonderful.
LS: If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
ES: Mars. I can’t even imagine the colors and textures you would find there….
LS: If you could collaborate with another designer/artist, who would it be and why?
ES: I think I’d like to time travel to meet my great grandfather Abe Parker. He was an inventor and designer, most famous for his invention of the blue dot light that were used as flash bulbs for cameras. I would love to work on lighting and large scale mechanical sculptures with him – so waiting until time travel is possible!
LS: What’s the most fun aspect of being a jewelry designer?
ES: Working with my hands every day is so satisfying. Being a designer connects me with so many interesting people and brings me to interesting places.
LS: Where can we see your work?
ES: http://www.emilieshapiro.com | @emilieshapirojewelry
Book Launch Event details / ticket sales – www.emilieshapiro.com/book/
Register for the Production Workshop with Emilie here
Here’s a slideshow of just some of her fabulous work!
Well, the art of wax carving dates back all the way to 3500 BCE! Probably even earlier! Ancient civilizations used the beeswax that had been leftover from harvesting honey to sculpt interesting forms, mostly depictions of animals and gods. Today we have many different types of jewelers carving wax, each kind having its own special properties. Carving wax is a wonderful technique for creating jewelry. Intricate details can be created in wax that you can’t achieve in metal. We are essentially making mini-sculptures, using additive and / or subtractive techniques.
In this 6-week class we explore how to build up wax, carve and file it away at it to reveal a design. Wax is extremely forgiving & versatile and can be used to make rings, pendants, bracelets, earrings or any other small object. You’ll start off by making a ring for the first project and then a pendant for the second. Students are encouraged to explore the wax as a medium as well as be challenged as designers by the instructor. You can design, experiment, play, and create with the inexpensive wax until you get your piece just right.
We include a tour of the jewelry district and a complete list of trade references and supplier resources to provide the new student with a full introduction to the jewelry industry. Small class sizes are perfect for both beginners or those looking to refresh their wax carving skills. You don’t need any jewelry knowledge to take this class – absolute beginners welcome!
for all the class details check it out here!
Mar 23rd – May 4th (no class 3/30) | $450 | Wednesdays| 6-9pm | wax included + tool list | Register Now!
here’s a fun slide show of our last classes finished projects, get inspired!
Saturday + Sunday | Jan 23+24 | 11am-5:00pm | $240 | Register Now!
Handmade chains are works of art – each link is individually created, so like snowflakes, they are similar, never identical. Choose between different gauges and shapes of wire such as round, squared, flat and triangle. Learn how to shape and form the links, to solder and join them, and how to shine, oxidize or add texture to create dimension. We finish with a handmade clasp.
Learn to coil wire to make circles and loops, how to use pin connections for bar pieces, or create a more intricate link to be cast and a matching toggle. The use of hammer texture and assorted finishes such as matte, oxidized, or high polish will also be covered. You can then complete your chain with a handmade clasp.
Join us this weekend for a great foundation class in stone setting!
This Saturday and Sunday, Dec 12 + 13, 11am-5:30pm Register Now!
The bezel setting is the earliest method for setting gemstones into jewelry – and hasn’t changed much over the last few thousands years. To create a bezel, you take a piece of metal and fabricate it to the size and shape of the outside of the stone. You then place the stone inside the bezel and push the metal over the top the stone.
Bezels are a simple, clean and secure approach to setting gemstones. They keep your gem safe and clean from dirt and don’t catch clothing.
LILOVEVE 