Introduction to Jewelry (Saturday)
Adult Class | Registration opens Monday, February 9, 2026 8:00 AM EST
This course is designed to introduce you to a variety of technical processes, design concepts, and tools essential for understanding and working with non-ferrous metals on a wearable scale. Attention will be given to material sourcing, the production and critique of metalwork, and the cultural and historical aspects of jewelry as artistic expression. Some basic techniques that will be covered include sawing, filing, simple forming, hammer texture, electrolytic etching, soldering, cabochon stone setting, and finishing.
What you will learn:
- A cultural history of jewelry and small-scale metals
- Design concepts as they pertain to wearable and decorative metals
- Working with specialized tools
- Basic techniques
Accessibility Note: This studio is only accessible by stairs. For access needs or accommodations, contact adulteducation@fleisher.org.
- Recommended Jewelry and Metal suppliers:
LOCAL
Hagstoz 709 Sansom Street. Phone: 215-922-1627
Pamma Tools 809 Sansom Street. Phone: 215-928-6004
ONLINE
Rio Grande: www.riogrande.com Phone: 1-800-545-6566
Start the term with these supplies
• Herkules Saw blades 2/0 – 2dozen (24 total)
• 3” x 6” 20 gauge Copper sheet
• 3” x 6” 20 gauge Brass sheet
• 1 FT Copper OR Brass Wire 18 Gauge (for jump-rings)
• 1 FT Brass Wire 20 Gauge
• 1 Sheet Each Sandpaper 220, 400, and 600 Grit
• 1 Single #52 (1/16”) Drill Bit
• Solder Wire Hard, Medium, AND Easy - 6” of each
• 3 small plastic baggies or container to keep solder stored separately
• Black thin and fine tip Sharpie Marker
• Rubber Cement
• Sketchbook/loose paper and pencil for drawing out designs
• An old t-shirt or rag for drying metal
Midway through the term students will need these supplies:
• Cabochon Stone (Round or Oval no smaller than 10MM)
• 6” Sterling Bezel Wire Approximately ¼”
• Sterling Silver Sheet 24 gauge – 1” X 1”
• 3 inches silver wire for making a ring (appropriately sized wire will be discussed in class)
OPTIONAL:
• 1 FT Sterling Wire 20 Gauge (for earring posts and hooks)
(No Nickel or Steel in studio unless previously discussed and Gold at your own expense!)
Materials are extremely important to have because without them projects will not be able to be completed.
Sarah Montagnoli
Sarah Montagnoli is a jeweler, metalsmith, and educator based in Philadelphia, PA. She received her BFA from Moore College of Art & Design (2018) and moved on to pursue her MFA and Teaching Certification at Tyler School of Art & Architecture (2021). Since receiving her Masters, she has been teaching jewelry at her alma mater as well as at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. In her work, Montagnoli creates pillowed metal forms via hydraulic pressing that act as vessels for encapsulating fragments of herself and her past, to be rewritten or observed from a removed perspective. When not teaching or seated at her bench, she enjoys time with her cats, collecting small trinkets, and wandering in the rain.
https://sarahmontagnoli.com/