The Revere Academy awarded its Jewelry Technician Diploma to 13 students who graduated from the recent JT Intensive program.  The Jewelry Technician Intensive Program, led by Alan Revere, includes instruction in fabrication, stone setting, casting, polishing, repair, trade practices, platinum and hand engraving. Students in the program also meet designers, bench jewelers and manufacturers who offer advice based on their own experinces.

Each semester the JT Intensive concludes with a juried competition. Students work on an independent design project for Revere's classic Box Ring, from his book, Professional Goldsmithing. The assignment combines students' creative talents along with the technical skills they learned in the JT Intensive. Students and faculty voted to select winners in a number of categories. All the work was painstaking made and displayed excellent technical mastery.

The following award-winning students received gift certificates donated by Otto Frei: Best Setting: Scott Addison, Best Design: Justine Collins, Best Engraving: Ibtsam Ali, Technical Excellence: Adam Evans and My Favorite: Elizabeth Lass.

Above: Best Design: Justine Collins

































Top left: My Favorite: Elizabeth Lass
Top right: Best Setting: Scott Addison
Bottom left: Technical Excellence: Adam Evans
Bottom right: Best Engraving: Ibtsam Ali

Do you love working with color? Have you always wanted to try enameling? Do you have experience enameling and want to expand your repertoire of techniques? Are you inspired by nature and looking for new ways to express yourself through your work? Then don't miss this opportunity to study with Harlan Butt.

Harlan is a uniquely talented artist who takes his inspiration from the flora and fauna where he has lived. He uses metalworking and enamel to replicate nature's colors, textures and shapes.

A highly revered master enamellist with over thirty years of teaching experience, Harlan is a respected teacher, artist, poet and philosopher. His students rave about Harlan's amazing ability to impart knowledge about the art of enameling to his students. This will be Mr. Butt's first appearance at the Revere Academy.

In his most recent cloisonné work, Harlan uses small cells of colored glass, repeated in patterns on the surfaces of metal, to represent nature.  He is fascinated by this colorful repetition because, as he states, "From the cell structure of plants and animals to the multiplicity of stars in the sky to the days in our lives repetition supplies structure to chaos." Don't miss this chance to study with a modern master of this stature.

We still have a few spaces left in these symposium classes on enameling. Register here or call 415-391-4179 to register for one of these information packed classes.

Mandala Patterns in Cloisonné with Harlan Butt
April 6-10 · $899 + $150 kit
There is nothing like the depth of color and dramatic brilliance possible in cloisonné enameling. This workshop offers the perfect introduction to classical cloisonné; in which vitreous enamels fill individual cells bordered by thin ribbons of wire. Instruction covers wet packing, shading, stoning, finishing, setting and much more. Learn to create a series of templates for a special jig to bend cloisonné wire into repeated shapes. Then use these wire sections to form an elegant mandala-inspired pendant. Students learn to apply both transparent and opaque enamels on fine silver as well as silver and gold foil over copper. Open to all levels.

Basse Taille, Stencil & Sgraffitto with Harlan Butt
April 11-12·$349+$110 kit
Enamelists enjoy a wide range of techniques including basse taille (low relief), stencil (drawing) and sgraffito (scratching). Learn these three traditional enamel techniques, which open an endless array of patterns, designs and effects for enamel work. Using both transparent and opaque colors, students create a series of jewelry-scale objects while exploring basse taille, stencil and sgraffito. Whether used alone, in conjunction with each other or in combination with the cloisonné technique taught in the earlier session, these techniques are both fun to explore and also add to your repertoire in enamel and metal. Open to all levels.

*Note: Students enrolled in both of Harlan Butt's enameling classes may purchase a combined kit for $170.





 

Above left: Loop-in-Loop Bracelet in 22k by Jean Stark
Above right: Pave Set Ring by Christo Kiffer
2009 Symposium Masters



Symposium Update
Many of our symposium classes are already full, but we still have a few spaces left in these symposium classes:
Steel Simplified with Suzanne Pugh, April 4-5, 2009 · $349 + $65 kit
Advanced Pavé with Christo Kiffer, April 3-5, 2009 · $499 + $75 kit
Loop-in-Loop Chains w/Jean Stark, April 18-19 · $349 + $110 kit
Chasing & Repoussé w/Fabrizio Acquafresca, April 13-17 ·$1250 + $20 kit
Special Techniques in Chasing & Repoussé w/Fabrizio Acquafresca

Don't miss the opportunity to take one of these information-packed classes taught by world-class instructors. Register here or call 415-391-4179 to register.

The renaissance city of Florence, Italy gave the world priceless paintings, magnificent sculptures and a surface finish for precious metals. "Florentine" finishes are created using line gravers that leave deep parallel cuts in metal. The finish is known around the globe for its delicate crosshatched patterns in gold and other metals.

The origin of this texture is in dispute, being claimed by both the Garibini and Alfonso families. However, not long after the first Garibini or Alfonso used a line graver to cut the Florentine finish, an English jeweller who saw the texture, created the first file that would do the same thing, but better. Unlike standard files with diagonal crosscuts that remove metal evenly, the new file has cuts that run longitudinally, and they are stacked one after the other, resembling a checkerboard. The result is that when stroked over metal, the file gouges out neat gullies and leaves crisp parallel lines. If stroked again, the lines get deeper. If turned at an angle and stroked again, the result is a very deep and crisp Florentine finish, one that will not wear away in a couple of years.

Checkering files come in a range of grit. Use the coarser files to add knurled grips to your tools like pin vises and even wooden handles.

This tip is from 101 Bench Tips by Alan Revere, published by MJSA. Illustration is by Sean Kane. Order now!

The Revere Academy is a professional jewelry school where master craftsmen pass on their skills and knowledge to students at all levels. Beginners and hobbyists as well as experienced working bench jewelers come for dozens of short, intensive classes (just 3-days!) and diploma programs lasting 2-4 months. I hope you will be able to join us for a class soon!

 

Sincerely,