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SEPTEMBER 7-13, 2026 WILDACRES - WEEK 2
Wayne Parker - SOUTHWEST HAND STAMPED METAL & LEATHER BRACELET
Class Name: SouthWest Hand Stamped Metal & Leather
Class Description:
In this course, we will utilize multiple disciplines & skills – i.e. Riveting, Hand Stamping, Annealing, Fold Forming – and add a large serving of imagination to create a new concept cuff bracelet. We will marry lizard, frog & fish leathers with copper & silver, adorn it with old silver coins (conchos) that have been though a rolling mill and create patterns in the metals with handmade Navajo stamps. Prepare to be wowed! A torch will be used for annealing but we will not be soldering nor setting stones this time. This is a cold connection process so, as you would imagine, it involves a lot of hammer strokes.
The lab fee covers the materials needed for the class projects and I will have the tools and stamps that you’ll need but if you have stamps and/or hand tools - such as hammers (riveting, rawhide, small & medium ball peen or hand sledge), bench block, files, saw frame, a super bench light or a bracelet mandrel – that you are comfortable using then bring ‘em along. Definitely bring your OptiVisor or something similar for eye protection and magnification. We’ll make three cuff bracelets for our class project to learn the techniques and then materials will be available to purchase so you can explore your creativity and new found skills by making additional bracelets or, perhaps, earrings or pendants if you so choose.
Lab Fee: $125 (class project, consumables & incidentals included)
Estimated Materials Cost for additional projects: $0-$250
Prerequisites: If you’ve ever bent a piece of metal or hit anything with a hammer then you’re qualified
Bio:
Wayne Parker
After a long career in banking, retirement allowed time for Wayne to discover a love for rock hounding, lapidary and jewelry making. Through membership in the Augusta Gem & Mineral Society (GA), Wayne has attended several SFMS workshops at both Wildacres and William Holland learning silver fabrication, casting and cold connections. His first class was Silver I with Nancy English at Wildacres. He is self taught in cabochons & wire wrapping and is working on faceting. “I like to learn the basics and then jump outside the box! The thrill of this craft, for me, is being able to figure out ways to actually make those off-the-wall ideas that conjure up in my head. This new concept cuff bracelet is one of those ideas!” Making jewelry became a passion and hundreds of his pieces have been sold through galleries, art festivals and rock shows
For 12 years, Wayne was the 2nd owner of Primitive Art, a popular vendor booth (that operated for a total of 35 years) selling polished stones, crystals, lapidary rough, slabs, equipment, fossils and collectables at rock shows around the Southeast. Since selling that business in 2023, he has taught workshops at William Holland and Wildacres for the Southeast Federation.
Wayne also serves as the Show Chairman and Treasurer for the Aiken-Augusta Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show and is his club’s treasurer. He and his wife, Terri, live in Evans, GA.
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