Wax Working Projects: Gemstone Settings II
Class Description
Taught by casey sobel
8 week course (meets once a week for 3 hours)
This course builds on foundational wax working techniques for gemstone setting, expanding students’ skills through more advanced design and construction approaches including hammer setting and bezel creation for irregular shaped stones. Focusing on greater precision, complexity, and refinement, students will further develop their ability to create cast-ready gemstone settings in wax for both cabochon and faceted stones. Emphasis is placed on structural integrity, clean execution, and intentional design choices that support successful casting and setting.
Students will continue to work with both subtractive carving methods and additive sculpting methods, as well as joining different wax hardnesses in order to tackle more challenging projects and settings. Consideration will be given to problem-solving in wax, improving consistency, and designing with the end metal process in mind. This course is ideal for students who have completed an introductory gemstone setting in wax class and want to deepen their technical confidence and sculptural control.
Metal casting for this class is outsourced and will be the responsibility of the student. These resources as well as gemstone sourcing will be covered in class. The BKMW Tool Shop has wax working supplies and a tool kit is available soon for purchase.
Please bring to the first class meeting a cabochon measuring 6 – 10 mm in either a round or oval shape as well as a 6 – 10 mm irregular shaped gemstone (no corners).
All students enrolled in this multi-session course will receive free punch cards to support their coursework outside of class time. punch card amounts are dependent on the length of the class session, see our chart here. These hours can be used during Open Studio and are valid for the duration of the course. Additionally, students have access to discounted hourly student rates and 12-hour bench cards.
Refunds & Credit
Please email us at info@bkmetalworks.com to withdraw from class. Withdrawals from class more than 7 days prior to the start of the class will receive a full refund for the class minus a 10% processing fee. If cancellation occurs 3-6 days prior to the class, we will provide a 50% refund. Cancellations 48 hours or less receive a 25% refund. Refunds will not be provided for no-shows or same-day cancellations.
We do not refund tuition for classes that students miss due to their own circumstances. There will be no refunds once the class begins in any circumstance, nor can we transfer you to a later semester. Students enrolled in multi-session studio courses (excluding workshops and intensives) may make-up missed class sessions during open studio hours through the duration of the session.
We reserve the right to cancel or discontinue any class, in which case you may choose to receive a refund, apply the class credit towards a different course, or receive a tuition credit for future use. Tuition credits are valid for up to one year. Refunds will be issued within 30 days.