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Built to Wear: Professional Jewelry Finding Series - Part 1: Earrings
Commercial earring findings may be convenient, but custom ones can dramatically elevate both the look and longevity of your work. In this focused two-hour online workshop, metalsmith and educator Kristin Mitsu Shiga explores professional approaches to earring findings that balance comfort, security, and design cohesion.
Students will learn how to fabricate their own posts and design custom earring backs that visually and structurally complement their earrings.
Students will also learn to form comfortable, clean ear wires in a range of materials, with attention to shaping, finishing, and durability.
Additional topics include standard and custom ear wire forms, attachment strategies, and self-locking ear wire designs that eliminate the need for separate backs.
Emphasis will be placed on clean construction, thoughtful proportions, and durability for long-term wear. Invaluable soldering tips—covering setup, heat control, and sequencing—will be integrated throughout.
This class is one in a series called "Built to Wear: Professional Jewelry Findings." Check out the other sessions available:
Built to Wear: Professional Jewelry Finding Series - Part 2: Bails
Built to Wear: Professional Jewelry Finding Series - Part 3: Pins
Students registering for all three parts of the "Built to Wear: Professional Jewelry Findings" series qualify for a discount! Discounts will be applied in the form of a refund for $85. To receive this refund, please complete registration for all three workshops and then email [email protected] to request reimbursement.
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.
- At least 6" - 20ga. Sterling Silver Round Wire - full-hard if available (if not, half-hard is fine) (Rio Grande)
- At least 1" x 1/2" - 28ga. Sterling Silver Sheet (Rio Grande)
- 1 - Combination Round/Chain Nose Forming Pliers (Otto Frei)
- 1 - Flush Cutters (Rio Grande)
- 1 - 6" Hand File - #4 Cut (Rio Grande)
- 1 - 1.2mm Twincut Cup Bur or Set (Rio Grande or Rio Grande)
- 1 - 22mm Mounted Microfiber Buff (Rio Grande)
- 1 - 1/4lb. Fabulustre Polishing Compound (Otto Frei)
- 1 - Old/cheap/dull Light-Duty Wire Cutters (Harbor Freight)
- 1 - Separating Disc (Rio Grande)
- 1 - 3/32" Wide-Top (aka "Hippy") Reinforced Threaded Mandrel (Rio Grande)
- 1 - 16cm 3-Square (aka Triangle) Needle File (Rio Grande)
- 1 - Knife Edge Hard Felt Buff (Otto Frei)
- 1 - 3/32" Reinforced Threaded Mandrel (Rio Grande)
- 1 - Dozen 4/0 Saw Blades (Rio Grande)
- OPTIONAL:
- Wire Bending Jig (Amazon)