BRATTLEBORO: Borter’s Jewelry Studio on High Street announces its summer/fall schedule of beginner- and intermediate-level metalsmithing workshops.
Bob Borter, who has been making and selling his jewelry in Brattleboro for more than 30 years, will co-teach the classes with fellow silversmiths Susanna Haas (susannahaasjewelry.com) and Chris Lann (chrislanndesigns.com).
Borter said the studio’s goal is to give budding jewelers a taste of what other Brattleboro collectives such as Brattleboro Clayworks, Fire Arts and the River Gallery School offer to novice potters, glass blowers and fine artists, respectively.
This is the third series of classes the trio has offered at the studio since they began last year, and the fall schedule includes four all-new workshops that they added based on feedback from the community.
“When we started planning the next season, we asked our previous and prospective students what they would like to learn,” Lann said. “One thing we heard again and again was that they wanted to know how to design their own jewelry, so we are planning a design class in November that will be unlike any other class we’ve offered.”
For one thing, he said, the design workshop will be four days long, as opposed to the typical two. For another, the take-away project is different from the other classes: Instead of making a piece of finished jewelry according the instructors’ specifications, each student in the design class will leave with a detailed plan to create a cohesive series of their own jewelry.
In each of the following workshops to be held in August through November, students will learn the skills and practices associated with a particular technique as each completes a project to take home. (Classes marked with * are being offered for the first time):
- Stacking Bangle Bracelets* – 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Aug. 7 and 9
- Essentials of Silver Soldering – 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Aug. 30 and 31
- Faceted Stone Setting* – 5 to 9 p.m. Sept. 6 and 7
- Bezel Setting Cabochons – 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 11 and 13
- Intro to Sand Casting – 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 18 and 20
- Strategies for Jewelry Design* – 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 18, 19, 25 and 26, $400
- Linked Chain Making* – 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 6 and 8
The cost for each class is $200, unless otherwise noted. Materials are included.
For detailed descriptions of each class and to register, visit bortersjewelry.com/classes or contact Borter at borterbob@gmail.com or (802) 254-3452. All of the sessions above will be held at the studio at 22 High St., Suite 202, in Brattleboro. Space is limited.
