Learn from a master metalsmith

Interested in making jewlery but afraid it will involve open flames and a lot of hammer tapping?

This summer, new faculty member Beth Chaunce introduces several workshops that incorporate an exciting medium called PMC, or precious metal clay. The silver-particle substance can be shaped and fired in a kiln much like regular, ceramic clay. Beth says the malable clay is so easy to work with, even students new to jewelry design can turn out a beautiful finished product.  Interestingly, Beth is one of a handful of artists who can claim to have a solid knowledge of PMC: the medium was invented, she says, by her teacher at Maine College of Art, where Beth earned her BFA in 1996.

(A Chester County native, Beth says that she grew up taking classes at CCAA, but can't credit an early interest in jewelry making since no classes were available then.)  

As a working designer and master metalsmith, Beth has spent more than a decade refining the artistic techniques she learned in art school, studying first in Maine and later in Edinburgh, Scotland. In addition to PMC, those techniques include fused glass, an especially popular medium that has "come a long way" since its use in the 1970s,  she notes.  

While her classes at CCAA give students a rare opportunity to learn these latest techniques, Beth, whose business, Luna Blue is named for her own artistic inspirations - the night sky and the changing colors of the ocean - also  likes to encourage her students to follow their own interests.

Her workshops typically focus on completing  one item, such as a charm bracelet or pendant.. Students are also encouraged to  find their own way by sketching out designs from nature, for instance, or adding unusual colors by using enamels. If you insist you can't draw or hold a paint brush, Beth even has a solution for that: students can use those rubber stamps found in any craft store to create designs with PMC.

Class Information
Sign-up now. Beth will hold several workshops and classes this fall. They include instructions in silver-smithing, beaded jewelry, fused glass and PMC pendants.