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All That Glitters: Adding Sparkle with Tiny Diamonds
It doesn’t have to be big to be BLING! Small diamonds are an affordable way to add sparkle – and value – to your designs. In this live, virtual class, join master jeweler Kristin Mitsu Shiga to learn flush setting and easy tube setting for jewelry production.
We’ll begin by creating our own custom tools specifically for these unique setting styles. Demonstrations and practice will utilize cubic zirconia stones, but the techniques covered can be used with any hard, round, faceted stones including natural or synthetic diamonds, sapphires, and rubies. Beginning and advanced students can expect to pick up additional tips in this fun, fast-paced class including alternative methods for holding your pieces and the proper preparation and use of rubberized abrasives in the jewelry studio.
For more information about virtual courses, visit our Virtual Course FAQ page.
Meet the instructor
Kristin Mitsu Shiga (she/they) is a maker, educator and small business owner with more than 30 years of experience currently living and working in rural Oregon.
Throughout her career, Kristin’s desire to balance her individual studio practice and working as part of a larger team allowed her to build an unusual skill set that includes everything from nonprofit arts administration and bookkeeping to armature-building for stop-motion animation studios. From a long line of educators, Kristin is passionate about teaching and has shared her knowledge with students at venues all over the US including Penland, Arrowmont and Haystack Mountain schools of craft, along with programs she established in New York, Oregon and Hawai’i.
Kristin believes that service is a crucial component of any career and has served in a variety of volunteer roles and on numerous nonprofit boards since 2001. She currently serves on the boards of the Hawai'i Artist Collaboration and Frogwood Artist Collaboration, and is in her second term as Secretary of the Board of Directors of the American Craft Council (ACC).
Kristin has shown her work internationally, and is included in several notable collections, including the Kamm Artful Teapot Collection and the Permanent Collection of the White House. You will find her work published in numerous books and magazines, including Art Jewelry Today, The Art of Enameling, Metalsmith’s 2017 Exhibition in Print, and several of Lark’s 500 Series books. Learn more about Kristin’s past work on Oregon Artbeat (segment originally aired in 2010).
Materials & Tools
The following supplies will be used for course demonstrations and objectives. A suggested item and/or vendor has been provided below for reference. Click the vendor name to be redirected to a page where you can view the item. The quantities needed for each item are listed first. If ordering, please be aware that some items may come in larger quantities than needed for this class. We recommend not opening an item's packaging until the day of the workshop. Student participation during or in-between class sessions is encouraged but not required.
Raw Materials/Consumables:
- 1 x Silicon Carbide Separating Discs - 1" (RioGrande)
- 1 x Dedeco® Try-'Em Silicone Polishing Wheel Assortment (RioGrande)
- 1 x Stainless Steel 1/16" Screw Mandrel 304, 3/32" Shank (Wide-Head) (RioGrande)
- 1 x Stainless Steel 1/16" Screw Mandrel 304, 3/32" Shank (Standard Reinforced) (RioGrande)
- 1 x Miniature 7/8" Felt Buffing Wheel, Mounted (RioGrande)
- 1 x Heatless Aluminum Oxide Wheel, 1" x 3/16" (RioGrande)
- 1 x Polished High-Speed Steel Twist Drill, 1.5mm (RioGrande)
- 1 x LYNX Round Bur, 2.5mm (RioGrande)
- 1 x LYNX Setting Bur, 2.5mm (RioGrande)
- 1 x Lab-Grown Ruby 2.5mm Round Faceted Gemstone (RioGrande) OR Lab-Grown Sapphire 2.5mm Round Faceted Gemstone (RioGrande) OR CZ 2.5mm Round Machine-Cut Faceted Gemstone (may be damaged in flush-setting and cannot be heated, but fine for practice) (RioGrande)
- 1 x Sterling Silver 3mm Seamless Heavy-Wall Tubing, Hard, 12" Length (RioGrande)
- 1 x 4 inches or more - Sterling Silver 5 x 2mm Rectangle Wire, Dead-Soft (RioGrande)
- 1 x Wolf "Wicked-Sticky" Positioning Wax (RioGrande)
- 1 x Pear-Shaped Hardwood Tool Handle with Chuck & Collets (RioGrande)
- 1 x Steel Prong and Bezel Pusher, Square (RioGrande)
- 1 x Foredom A-10333 Dressing Stone (Foredom) (also available through Amazon)
Basic Hand Tools:
- 1 x jewelers saw (Rio Grande)
- 1 x pack #4/0 saw blades (Rio Grande)
- 1 x hammer (Rio Grande)
- 1 x steel block (Rio Grande)
- 1 x center punch (Rio Grande)
- 1 x rotary tool - must fit 3/32" shanks (Rio Grande)
- 1 x ring clamp/peg vise/JettSett/double stick tape/etc. (Rio Grande)
- 1 x 6" to 8" hand file - cut #4 or #2 (Rio Grande)
- 1 x tweezers (Rio Grande)
- 1 x scribe (Rio Grande)
- 1 x calipers - digital or Vernier (Rio Grande)
- 1 x particulate dust mask
- 1 x eye protection
- 1 x extra fine point Sharpie
- 1 x small tray or lid - to hold stones
The following items are optional:
- 1 x rawhide (Rio Grande)
- 1 x bench pin (Rio Grande)
- 1 x ring mandrel (Rio Grande)
- 1 x half round ring file - cut #2 (Rio Grande)
- slotted mandrels (Rio Grande)
- sand paper strips - 220 and 600 grits only (Amazon)
- inside ring buff (Rio Grande)
- visual aid - optivisers/readers/microscope/loupe (Rio Grande)
- sterling silver buffing wheel and compound of choice (Rio Grande)
- 1/16" screw mandrel 303 - 3/32" shank (Rio Grande)
- 1 x tube cutting jig or miter vise (Rio Grande)
- 1 x torch setup - for soldering and annealing (Rio Grande)
Optional torch setup may utilize similar items as below - suggestions linked in red:
- 1 x fireproof torch area - steel baking sheet will work (Amazon)
- 1 x Solderite™ pad or fire bricks (Rio Grande)
- 1 x compressed charcoal block (Rio Grande)
- 1 x #0 or #1 torch tip or similar may be useful (Rio Grande)
- 1 x titanium soldering tweezers (Rio Grande)
- 1 x tungsten soldering pick (Rio Grande)
- 1 x silver solder (Rio Grande)
- 1 x paste flux (Rio Grande)
- 1 x copper tongs - for pickle (Rio Grande)
- pickle - for non-ferrous metals (Rio Grande)
- crock pot or tempered glass container with lid - for pickle (Amazon)
- tempered glass container or sink - for quenching and rinsing
- small brush - for flux