Perfecting Tube Setting
In this demo-focused virtual course students will learn the basics of tube setting faceted gemstones with precision and efficiency! This stone setting technique is supremely versatile and an excellent application for all types of jewelry from earrings to rings and everything in between! Tube settings can be the “cherry on top” of any design. In this 1-day workshop, demos will center on working with sterling silver to create basic wearable designs that includes tube settings.
Meet the instructor
Sarah “Spee” Parker is a Richmond-based sculptor and jeweler. She received her MFA from the Department of Craft/Material Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and her BFA at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Sarah’s sculptures, installations and jewelry focus heavily on americana, punk, DIY, anti-containment, and questioning authorship through the lens of craft. Spee is part of the Radical Jewelry Makeover Artist Project. She was a 2022 Post-Master’s Teaching Fellow at Virginia Commonwealth University. She was a recipient of the Baltimore Jewelry Center Emerging Artist Residency. She has exhibited regionally and has been a member to several DIY exhibition spaces in both Boone, North Carolina as well as Richmond, VA.
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 not required - observers are welcome.
Metal/raw materials (NOTE the instructor will be covering the following sized but this process can be applied to any size stone and to many types of projects):
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1"-12" x sterling silver heavy wall tubing - 3.56mm (Rio Grande)
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5 min. x machine cut cz. - round 3mm (Rio Grande)
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6" x sterling silver round wire - 1/2 hard 22g (Rio Grande)
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1"x3'' x sterling silver sheet - 22g (Rio Grande)
Torch setup:
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1 x fireproof area - steel sheet, tiles, etc. (Amazon or Home Depot)
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1 x Solderite™ pad / pan with pumice (Rio Grande or Rio Grande)
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1 x torch - Smith mini, Silversmith, or butane (Rio Grande or Rio Grande)
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1 x #0 or #1 torch tip - if getting Silversmith (Rio Grande)
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1 x striker or lighter - Silversmith system has one (Rio Grande)
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1 x soldering tweezers (Rio Grande)
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1 x soldering pick (Rio Grande)
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1 x cross lock tweezers (Rio Grande)
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1 x paste flux (Rio Grande)
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1 x copper tongs - for pickle (Rio Grande)
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1 x 6” silver solder - hard (Rio Grande)
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1 x 6” silver solder - medium (Rio Grande)
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1 x 6” silver solder - easy (Rio Grande)
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1 x pickle - sodium bisulfate or citric acid (Rio Grande or Amazon)
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1 x crock pot or lidded glass container (Rio Grande or Amazon)
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1 x tempered glass container or sink - for quenching and rinsing
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1 x small brush - for flux
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1 x liquid hand soap - for cleaning metal
Hand tools:
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1 x snips / flush cutters (Rio Grande)
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1 x jewelers saw (Rio Grande)
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1 x pack saw blades - 2/0 (Rio Grande)
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1 x burlife / bee's wax (Rio Grande)
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1 x bench pin (Rio Grande)
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1 x half round hand file - #2 cut (Rio Grande)
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1 x rotary tool - flex shaft, micro motor, etc. (Rio Grande)
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1 x set of needle files - #2 cut (Rio Grande)
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1 x center punch (Rio Grande)
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1 x scribe (Rio Grande)
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1 x ring clamp (Rio Grande)
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1 x rawhide / plastic mallet (Rio Grande)
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1 x steel block / steel surface (Rio Grande)
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1 x small steel ruler (Rio Grande)
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1 x sheet of sand paper - 220 to 600 grits (Amazon)
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1 x calipers (Amazon)
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1 x sanding sticks (Rio Grande)
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1 x tube cutting jig with sliding gauge (Rio Grande)
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1 x setting punches (Rio Grande)
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1 x stone setting bur - 3mm (Rio Grande)
Other/miscellaneous items:
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hard work surface
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fan and open window - or ventilation system
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safety glasses
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pencil, Sharpie, notebook
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rags/towels