As many of you may know, on June 28, 2010, Ronda Coryell, Studio Manager and Instructor at Revere, was diagnosed with Guillain-Barr� syndrome, a severe neurological disorder. Ronda was in the hospital in intensive care for two weeks, during which time her condition deteriorated to complete paralysis. When her condition improved, she was moved to a rehabilitation facility where she recovered in record time, just two weeks!

Ronda is very grateful for the overwhelming response from the Revere community during her illness. Many of you showered her with get-well wishes, cards, and flowers. "It really helped my recovery knowing that I had such a powerful force behind me" said Ronda. The positive energy from all of you, along with Ronda's unstoppable positive attitude lead to her incredible and speedy recovery.

Ronda returned to Revere on September 17, 2010 to teach two Argentium classes with the assistance of Revere instructor, Karen Sprague. Ronda was excited to get back to teaching, and although it was tiring for her, during these classes she fully recovered her eyesight. Now she is back working, both at Revere and in her studio! Her workdays are shorter, and she gets tired more easily, but she continues to improve.  

We are all very grateful for Ronda's recovery and to have her back with us at Revere. We also send our thanks to all of you for your support during this difficult time.

Above: Transition Bracelets in Argentium, 24k gold, and diamonds

by Revere instructor and studio manager, Ronda Coryell

Ronda has been back in the studio working and made these ground-breaking bracelets shortly after her recovery.

The Revere Academy New Student Scholarship was founded to provide an opportunity for new students to attend the Academy. Scholarship includes tuition for any regular 3-day class, $50 administration fee, up to $100 in kit fees, plus transportation and lodging in San Francisco.

Applicants must be a new student to Revere Academy and reside in the U.S.A. Completing the application is simple; provide three images of anything you have made by hand, in any media, and a short essay about why you would like to attend the Revere Academy. Deadline for applications is March 1, 2011.

Download an application!

The problem: You need a piece of half-round gold wire for a ring shank-and you need it right away. You don't have any on-hand, and there is no time to place an order. All you have is round wire that is larger than what you need for the shank, and a round draw plate.

The solution: Take the round gold wire (it must be larger than the half-round wire you desire) and fold it in half, tapping the bend tight with a hammer. Taper the bent end in preparation for inserting it into a draw plate. You can do this by step rolling in a mill, by forging out the end with a hammer, or by filing to a taper. If the ends separate, solder them together and continue to taper them. Aneal and then draw the two wires down through the graduated holes of a round draw plate. The round wires are pressed together, forming a flat boundary between them. The result: A half-round wire for the ring shank.

You can also make 1/3 or 1/4 round wire by starting with three or four pieces of round wire, respectively, and following the technique described above.

This series of tips is from Alan Revere's continuing column in MJSA Journal, and will be collected into a book. Find more tips like this one in Mr. Revere's book, 101 Bench Tips, published by MJSA. Illustration is by Sean Kane.

Order now!

Hoover and Strong and SNAG have joined together to create this competition for production jewelry. 

The competition is named after Harmony Metals™, the environmentally sustainable metals from Hoover and Strong.

Absolute Brilliance Inc., a special-order loose-diamond manufacturer, is awarding multiple scholarships for the newly announced Diamond Council of America's Advanced Jewelry Sales course.