Saturday, February 4, 2023
2:00 - 5:00 pm PST
Instructor: Julia Lowther
Zoom link and instructions for joining the call will be emailed 1 day prior to class.
The class supply list is below and contains links to buy the supplies you need.
This class will be recorded, and the recording will be available for students to access through their Little Metal Foxes accounts for a full month after the live class.
Granulation has been used by jewelry makers to adorn precious metal surfaces for over 3000 years and is one of the most highly regarded methods of jewelry decoration. The success of the process hinges on the quality of the granules you prepare, and in this workshop, you will learn to make tiny granules of gold or silver, as well as numerous tricks to create granules in the sizes best suited to your work. You will also learn to make your own personal granulation sieve to sort granules accurately and quickly from 4mm down to a mere 0.3mm!
This is the first of two separate stand-alone workshops. You can take either workshop on its own or enroll in both! In “Granulation - Part 2” you will learn how to affix the granules to a flat or domed metal sheet.
Skill Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Supply List for Students
The links below will take you to RioGrande.com or other suppliers. To see prices for precious metal items, you need a free Rio Grande account. Registered Little Metal Foxes students can access the Rio for Schools program for significant savings (discounts and flat-rate shipping). This site may contain Amazon and other affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, at no cost to you, we may receive a small commission on qualifying purchases.
Recommended Tools:
Recommended SUPPLIES for Granulation Sieve Set:
- Wire Cloth Sample Pack - Coarse Mesh (9231T11, McMaster-Carr)
- Wire Cloth Sample Pack - Medium Mesh (9231T16, McMaster-Carr)
- Stackable, screw-together bead jars, ~1” (~40mm) diameter - you will need a total of 15-18 jars, here are three options:
- Organizer w 25 jars (Fire Mountain Gems)
- Darice 2025-252 Bead Container with 28 Storage Jars (Amazon)
- Multicraft Screw Stack 10 Canisters 2 Tops (Createforless.com)
- Kwik-Seal All-Purpose Caulk (Amazon)
- Masking tape
- Scrap of coarse sandpaper
Recommended TOOLS for Granulation Sieve Set:
- Circle template (Amazon)
- Wire cutters (Amazon)
- Universal shears - 111253
- Jewelers saw frame (2.25” throat) -110039
- 2/0 jewelers saw blades (pkg/12) - 110306
- Small twist drill bit ~ 1.5mm
- Palette knife (Amazon) (needs to have a rounded tip about 8mm wide)
- Drill
- Ultra fine point permanent marker
- (optional) Label Maker (Amazon)
Recommended SUPPLIES for Making Granules:
- 24-20ga round wire (fine silver or gold):
- fine silver wire -105310gp
- gold wire - must be zinc-free and 18k or higher:
- Soft charcoal block - min. 3” x 4”
- 26ga stainless steel binding wire - 503073
Recommended TOOLS for Making Granules:
- Straight-tip shop shears - 114227
- (optional) Solder cutting pliers (Otto Frei)
- (optional) Rectangular magnet - (min. dimensions = 20mmx3mm) (Amazon)
- (optional) Titanium solder pick - 503019 (clean, no flux)
- tweezers - 115018
- Plastic tea infuser (Amazon)
- Torch