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JUNE 8-14, 2025 WILLIAM HOLLAND
ZAC TEDROW - SILVER II - SILVER AND STONE CUTTING
In this week-long class, you will learn everything that it takes to make a bold, southwest inspired statement ring...right down to the centerpiece stone itself! Students will begin by selecting rough turquoise, variscite, or jasper material and trimming it down to a suitable size for a ring. We will then transform those pieces into beautifully polished cabochons with beginner and intermediate lapidary techniques. Using our new cabochons, students will design a shadowbox style statement ring using traditional silversmithing techniques like stamping, filing, sawing, texturing, and soldering. The last portion of the class will be dedicated to adding patina, sanding, polishing, and setting the stone. This class is suitable for advanced beginner to intermediate level silversmiths. No previous lapidary experience is necessary, and some previous soldering experience is strongly encouraged. This class is geared toward creative freedom, so no two projects will be the same!
***Silver kits will include one 16-gauge 16mm x 70 mm sterling sheet, one 20-gauge 30mm x 30mm sterling sheet, one 3/16” x .013” x 3” fine silver bezel strip, and one 6” length of 12 ga sterling silver round wire in addition to the silver kits, I will have some other pieces of patterned wire, extra sheet, and other embellishments that will be available a la carte. Rough turquoise, variscite, and some jasper will be available for $1-$3 per gram, but students are welcome to bring some of their own material to use. I will also have a number of slabs for purchase in the $5-30 range.
Lab Fee: $250
Estimated Materials Cost: $90 for base silver kit, additional silver and stone will be available a la carte.
Prerequisites: Silver I
BIO:
Zac Tedrow - Silver II - Silver & Stone Cutting
Hello everyone and thank you for joining us for this class! A little about me...I’m a father, metalsmith, and lapidary artist from a beach town in west Michigan called Muskegon. I’ve been a professional metalsmith and instructor for nearly 6 years, but my path to smithing was hardly linear. I’ve been interested in visual arts since I was 10 years old, spending most of my time as a child making clay figures and sculptures. Sculpting led to film-making and stop motion animation in high school, and ultimately my area of study at Grand Valley State University. After a few years at Grand Valley, I decided to shift to making edible art in 2009. I earned a culinary degree from The Culinary Institute of Michigan in 2011, and I pursued a career as a culinarian for several years. As a creative outlet, I decided to take introductory metalsmithing classes in 2015. I was instantly consumed by metalsmithing and stone cutting, and devoted countless hours to practicing the craft. After some time spent as a resident artist, I began teaching classes at Studio JSD in Grand Haven, Michigan. I have also had the pleasure of teaching at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, Michigan as well as with Vivi Magoo Artist Retreats in Tucson, AZ. My passion for teaching evolved alongside my passion for metalsmithing, and it is immeasurably rewarding as an artist to share what I have learned with my students. I’m looking forward to meeting each of you and creating some wearable art!
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