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
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!
A common question we get in the studio is how to size a wax ring for very small sizes. Most ring blanks come in a size 5 – so that pinky ring you’ve always wanted to make will require just a few more steps than your average ring.
How to Carve Small Ring Sizes in Wax
Suggested tools
Via Otto Frei
1. Starting with a solid wax tube in the color of your preference, cut out a ring blank to your desired width and evenly file the sides.
2. Measure the width of your ring blank.
3. Figure out the middle point by dividing the width, or diameter, by two and marking that point with a scribe.
4. Make a bulls eye
5. Using a drill bit and your flex shaft, drill a hole where the lines intersect (don’t forget your safety glasses when operating your hand drill or flex shaft!).
After drilling.
6. Widen the hole using a wax bur.
I like to do this holding the flex shaft perpendicular to the wax blank. Always hold onto your piece while drilling.
7. Continue to widen the hole more with the same wax bur, or a cylinder bur.
I like to make small and gentle circles on the inside of the hole with the bur to slowly open it up.
8. Using a ring mandrel, continuously check your work while opening up the inside. Make sure to push the piece gently down the mandrel to ensure accurate sizing.
Et Voila! A size 2 ring for a pinky ring or otherwise teeny tiny hands! Learn more wax carving techniques in our in 6 week wax class listed here.
When did you first start making jewelry?
I started making jewelry when I was like…9. But my first proper metal working class was in 2012. And as Drake says, nothing was the same…
What class did you take at Liloveve?
I took the wax carving class with Emilie!
Baby Hold on Ring | ring created in Wax Carving I class
Fortune Teller Necklace | pendant created in Wax Carving I class
Where do you draw your inspiration when designing your work?
My inspiration is a mix of things that have shaped my aesthetic. Paintings by Frida Kahlo and Jan Bruegel, floral print scarves from Oilily, the gardens of Marie Antoinette and Instragram. I am also very influenced by my current emotional and mental state. A lot of my jewelry is meant to be saviors in the midst of chaos.
Where do you exhibit / sell your work?
I sell through my site www.susanalexandra.com, retailers in the United States and Japan.
Have you been featured in any press?
Elle.com, March 2014
Nylon Magazine, April 2014
What’s your favorite piece you’ve ever made?
Eye See Bracelet
Eye See Bracelet
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
Paris in the 1920’s, England in Medieval times where I was a princess in a castle, current times to Columbus, Oh to eat tuna noodle casserole made by my mama.
If you could collaborate with another designer/artist, who would it be and why?
Rihanna or Frida Kahlo. Or my brilliant best friend and artist Matthew Sabato of Measuring the Marigold.
What’s the most fun aspect of being a jewelry designer?
Working for myself! Creating what is purely my thoughts and feelings. Creating in general!
Where can we see your work?
OR my instragram, susan_alexandra
Check out Susan’s work on her website or follow her in instagram.
We just finished our last session of Wax Carving I – it’s always incredible to see the progress and growth of everyone’s work in just 6 weeks. Here are a few pendants from our the second project. Take a look at the rings they created in the first project here.
Join us for our next session on May 22 through June 26
We just finished an amazing session of Wax Carving I – I’m always blown away by what the students create in just 6 weeks! Take a look at some fo their projects below….
Interested in learning about Wax Carving? Check out these upcoming classes:
Wednesdays 6-9pm | $450 wax materials included | Register Now!
Intermediate Hinged Lockets + Bracelets: creating in wax + silver
Mar 12 – Apr 23 | Wednesdays 6-9pm | Register Now!
Steel Class
Steel Class
Intro to Silversmithing
Intro to Silversmithing
Wax Carving I
Wax Carving I – work in progress
Wax Carving I
This past Thursday we had the opening of our 4th annual Student Show and it was so fantastic! If you missed it, take a look at the incredible work of our participating artists….
Jennifer Salta
Uprooted
Silver, Turquoise, Wax Carving I Class
2013
King
Brass
2013, Wac Carving I Class
Hand crafted
Brass
2013, Wax Carving I Class
What is your current occupation? Assistant jewelry designer at Satya Jewelry
What classes have you taken at Liloveve? Wax Carving I
How does jewelry fit into your life? I would say that jewelry pretty much consumes my life. If I am not at work I am taking classes or creating on my own.
Where do you draw your inspiration? Mostly the places I visit and places I have created in my mind that may not really exists.
Ryan Swearingen
Watermelon Tourmaline Stacker
Silver, Watermelon Tourmaline
2013
Stamped Hexagon
Silver, Brass
2013
Orange Agate double ring
Silver, Agate
2013
What is your current occupation? Mental Health Counselor
What classes have you taken at Liloveve? Ring making intensive
How does jewelry fit into your life? As a form of communication and expression
Where do you draw your inspiration? symbols, mysticism, organic process
Skip LaTronica
Buffalo
Turquoise, Howlith, Silver set in Cocobolo
2013
Sea Turtle
Green Jasper, Silver, Jade, Garnet, Labradorite, Sunstone, Prehnite, Bloodstone, Moonstone, Citrine, Fluorite, Leather
2012
Hug
Hand-dyed Soapstone, Black Fire Agate, Botswana Agate, Carnelian, Leather
2012
Occupation: Office/Project Manager for construction company
What classes have you taken at Liloveve? Intro to Silversmithing
How does jewelry fit into your life? The biggest part of “heart” is “art”. The Muse speaks, I obey.
Where do you draw your inspiration? I think maybe my Native American roots give me a sense of what’s in the slab before me, of which stones will harmonize, which will create a dissonance. While none of these particular pieces are for sale, similar ones can be created in your choice of a large variety of stones. Others can be seen on my Facebook page, “Eclectic Omega.”
Cindy Horrigan
Vertex Ring
Brass
2013, Wax Carving I
Lunar Pendant
Sterling Silver
2013, Wax Carving I
Hudsucker Ring
Sterling Silver
2012
Sue Keown
Kokopelli Flute Player
PMC, .999 Fine Silver Clay, Oxidized
2013, PMC Workshop
Silver Wings Amulet
PMC, .999 Fine Silver Clay, neoprene, Oxidized
2012, PMC Workshop
Mayan Priest
Lost Wax Casting, Bronze, Greek Leather Cord, Oxidized
2013, Wax Carving II Class
What is your current occupation? Student
What classes have you taken at Liloveve? Silversmithing, Wax Carving, Stone setting, chain making, & PMC (precious metal clay)
Where do you draw your inspiration? Myth, Native American Art and Spiritualism, Indian Art, geometrical designs, art deco
Rosanne Puchal
Antique Copper Wire Crocheted Bracelet
Wire, Turquoise, Pearls, Brass Beads
2013
Silver and Purpless Crocheted Bracelet
Silver Wire, Silver Beads, Amethyst and Agate Beads
2013
Occupation: Professional makeup artist for TV, film and print.
What classes have you taken at Liloveve? Wire crochet workshop, Viking knit workshop, earrings intensive
How does jewelry fit into your life? I like creating designs with color and shapes, not necessarily symmetrical, but aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Which, to me, is an extension of what I do as a makeup artist.
Where do you draw your inspiration? The color wheel and nature.
Erica Ffolliott
Filigree Ring
Sterling Silver, Aquamarine
2013, Filigree Workshop
What’s your current occupation? unemployed
What classes have you taken at Liloveve? Intro to Silversmithing, wax carving, chain making, Ring design, filigree, tube setting, flush setting.
How does jewelry fit into your life? Hobby, possible career interest
Where do you draw your inspiration? organic objects, ancient artwork, geometric shapes
Mary Feng
Leaves in Flame
Silver
2013, Intro to Silversmithing
What’s your current occupation? Interactive Producer
What classes have you taken at Liloveve? Intro to Silversmithing
How does jewelry fit into your life? It is a wonderfully meticulous medium where most (if not all) of the creative output is manifested from my imagination.
Where do you draw your inspiration? Currently, most of my inspiration comes from nature and organic shapes.
Monica Ruzansky
Sun rise necklace
14K Gold & 2 pt. diamond
2012
Drop diamond necklace
14K Yellow with 13 black diamonds
2013
Square diamond necklace
14K Gold and 9 white diamonds
2013
What classes have you taken at Liloveve? Rose Cut Diamond Ring, Gold Alloying, Stackable Rings and Flush Setting
How does jewelry fit into your life? It is a drive for me! It’s like my happy pill, takes me from one place to the next one, always exploring and learning non-stop.
Where do you draw your inspiration? It really varies, it can start by looking at a stone – it’s color, or shape. Looking at patterns in nature is a very rich source of inspiration for me, and as well as I really take pleasure in looking at reflections or glimpses of light and I try to translate that into my work. Other great unexpected inspirational moments happen in the studio during the design and production processes, where mistakes become a starting point for a new idea or even become an actual piece themselves.
Jane Durand
Power Ring
Brass
2013, Wax Carving I
What’s your current occupation? Jewelry Production Assistant / Marketing
How does jewelry fit into your life? Intro to Silversmithing and Wax carving
How does jewelry fit into your life? Jewelry’s place in my life has evolved greatly since I took my first class at Liloveve. It started out as a much needed creative outlet, and for the past six months it has been the focus of my work life. My pursuit of learning more about design and production has led me to some of the most unexpected and fulfilling experiences of my life.
Where do you draw your inspiration? Architecture, modern design and the utilization of negative space.
Juan Carlos Primo
The show is up through Sunday, September 22 from Noon – 5pm.
Last weekend we had a really fun mold making workshop in the studio. This was the first time we offered this workshop, so it was really fun to watch!
Everyone brought small objects & jewelry to pour silicon & alginate over to create molds.
Pouring the perfect mixture of the liquid silicon.
The molds set overnight while everyone took a well deserved break!
Everyone poured plaster into there molds.
The class experimented with alginate molds, and everybody molded their fingers.
We now have everyone’s fingerprints!
Have you ever wanted to make several versions of a jewelry piece? Perhaps to give as gifts or to start your own collection? Or maybe you’ve discovered an interesting natural object- a shell or a piece of tree bark and wanted to turn it into a unique piece of jewelry. These types of practices are achieved by mold making- the technique of using a model to creative a negative space with in a form. That negative space is filled with a molten wax which is then cast into metal, creating an exact replica of the model.
Mold making is what drives the production aspect of jewelry world. It creates an easy way to make multiple versions of your pieces and even opens up new ways to create jewelry. A common way to use molds for jewelry making is to cast natural objects into metal. Bones, shells, wood, teeth, even sea creatures can be used as models- there is literally a whole world of things that can be molded and made into jewelry pieces.
Are you interesting in learning more about creating multiples and mold making? Check out our Mold Making Workshop on August 10th and 11th. We’ll be learning about different types of molds and casting multiples of our student’s choosing. Come experiment with us and discover the various possibilities that mold making has to offer!
LILOVEVE 
