Jewelry Specialization: Mastering Design and Photography Techniques

Influences | Gabriela Silveira

In this lesson, I will talk about a few artists that have influenced and shaped my work.

Module 2

Learn how to turn simple sketches into handcrafted brass jewelry with character and purpose. Guided by Freya Alder, you’ll explore the basics of working with sheet brass—cutting, shaping, and refining each piece with care. Master essential tools and techniques to build unique accessories from scratch, with a focus on creativity, sustainability, and professional finish.

15 lessons (2h 42m)

Tools and Materials

First, I will introduce the different materials and tools you will need when creating your brass jewellery.

Setting Up Your Workstation

Now, I will show you how best to set up your workstation. I’ll also share with you some health and safety practices when you start to create your jewellery.

An Introduction to Working with Brass 1

Here we are going to get acquainted with brass as a material and the techniques we will need to employ in the final project.

An Introduction to Working with Brass 2

I will continue working with the piercing saw and I'm going to teach you how to drill holes with a drill.

15m

Get Inspired

In this lesson, I will show you how to create a mood board on Pinterest to plan your brass jewellery pieces. This will serve as a useful tool to start thinking about possible forms for your design.

Sketching Your Design

First, I will help you use your mood board to work on your sketches. These sketches will soon be translated into brass sheets and to make up your jewellery piece.

Translating Your Drawing into a Brass Piece 1

In this lesson, you will start piercing out your final piece using the skills learned earlier in the course.

Translating Your Drawing into a Brass Piece 2

Here, I will be working on some of the fine details of my piece.

Tidying up Your Brass Piece

Now you will learn how to use needle files and emery paper to achieve a smoother more professional finish to your cut out pieces.

15m

Attaching Findings 1

Here I’m going to help you think about how you’d like to make your pieces into wearable jewellery when you attach your findings.

I'm going to finish solder the piece. Then, I will teach you how to attach findings by drilling a hole into your piece. I'll show you how to do it with an extra design.

Attaching Findings 2

Finishing Your Piece

Now that your pieces are almost finished we're going to talk about ways to polish them with limited equipment.

Adding Additional Elements

In this lesson you will look at additional options you can use to add your own personal spin to your pieces using beads, brass wire and jump rings.

Packaging and Care

I'm going to talk about packaging your jewellery for commercial use and helping your customers take care of the brass after it’s left the studio.

Sharing Your Work

Finally, I will talk about selling your work commercially and building a following on social media.

Module 3

Discover how to transform paper into wearable art with the refined technique of Modular Origami. Guided by Mayumi Fukuda, you’ll learn to fold intricate forms, design patterns, and make your creations durable and water-resistant. Bring elegance and precision to each piece as you craft unique origami jewelry with your own hands.

13 lessons (2h 14m)

Materials

In this lesson, I will show you the essential tools and materials you will use to create your project.

Introduction to Origami

Today, origami is a widespread source of inspiration for art, fashion, design, gastronomy, architecture, and engineering. Here I will show you how versatile origami can be, highlighting the infinite possibilities of materials and applications. And for the course project, I will also explain some of the main features of modular origami.

Introduction to Paper

The next step is to familiarize yourself with paper! In this lesson, I will share the exciting possibilities of decorative papers and how to choose the right one for your project.

Making a Mood Board

In this lesson, I will demonstrate how to create a mood board, using kimono patterns as a guideline. I will show you the advantages of planning ahead for the overall look of your jewelry design.

Creating the Pattern 1

In this lesson, I will show you how to create a distinctive painted pattern. To do so, we will start by working with gouache and making a color chart. The idea is to experiment with the materials and enjoy the process!

In the second part of this lesson, you will learn how to create a pattern in layers, enhancing it with the application of metallic contrast on gouache.

Creating the Pattern 2

Next, I will show how to cut the paper into perfect squares and how to make a pattern guideline for the folding process.

Cutting the Paper

Folding Modular Origami 1

Now it's finally time for you to practice origami. You will learn how to read origami diagrams and create multiple sonobe unit models, using the paper you have previously designed.

Folding Modular Origami 2

The next step will be assembling the unit models, which feels pretty much like playing with a puzzle.

A high-quality paper treatment is undeniably important to make well-finished, durable jewelry. Here I will talk about the different ways to apply it.

Paper Treatment

Assembling and Finishing the Design

We're reaching the final step! In this lesson, I will teach how to create stable structures for your origami jewelry.

An origami paper box can be extremely effective to present your jewelry. Here you will learn how to make simple, yet functional packaging for your artwork.

Origami Box

Presenting Origami Jewelry

Whether origami is a hobby or a career choice for you, sharing your work on social media is the only way to go. In this lesson, I will teach you how to use a mobile camera to take stylish photos of your jewelry.

In this lesson, I will review the materials you will need to get started. Also, I'll be showing you some of my favorite products.

Module 4

Step into the intricate world of miniature embroidery, where tiny stitches bring big ideas to life. With Yulia Sherbak as your guide, you’ll explore techniques like thread painting and detailed stitching to create delicate jewelry pieces inspired by nature and animals. Learn how to transform needlework into wearable art with texture, color, and care.

15 lessons (2h 26m)

Materials

Basic Embroidery Stitch Technique

Let's get started! I will teach you a variety of embroidery stitches, including straight stitch, split stitch, satin stitch, and turkey work.

Long and Short Stitch Technique

Now, I will show you the long and short stitch. This is the stitch that’s used in thread painting. A long and short stitch is an essential stitch in realistic embroidery.

Conceptualization of the Idea

With the basic stitches cleared, I want to share with you the beginning of my creative process. First, I'll create a mood board for each of the designs that we will work on in this course. Then, I will show you how I create the sketches.

Transferring the Final Sketch to the Fabric

First, I will show you how to place the fabric into the embroidery hoop. The fabric needs to be so taught you could even describe it as drum-tight. Then, I will show you how to transfer the pattern to your fabric, using a heat erasable pen and a light source.

Basic Color Theory and Choosing a Color Palette

In this lesson, I will talk about how I approach choosing a color palette for my embroidery.

Stitching Needle Painting 1 part 1

I will be stitching the hedgehog. I will begin with some embroidery basics: separating the floss, threading the needle, and starting a stitch.

Stitching Needle Painting 1 part 2

Now, I will continue diving into needle painting the hedgehog.

Stitching Needle Painting 2 part 1

In this lesson, I'll be stitching a fuzzy white-tailed bumblebee. The defining feature of this piece is a three-dimensional fuzzy thorax of the bee, which we will achieve using Turkey's work stitch.

Stitching Needle Painting 2 part 2

For the bumblebee to come to life I will give the final touches by working on its wings.

Stitching Needle Painting 3 part 1

For the final embroidery of this project, I will be stitching the little mushroom.

Stitching Needle Painting 3 part 2

Now that the cap of the mushroom is done, I'll finish with the stem.

Finish the Piece by Placing Them into a Necklace or Pin

In this lesson, I will be showing how to place the embroidery into necklace or pin settings.

Other Applications

I will show you some other ways you can display your work if you choose not to turn it into jewelry.

Sharing Your Work Online

Finally, I would like to share with you some tips for taking photos of your finished work, editing them and, sharing them on Instagram.

Module 5

Explore the art of wearable florals with Sue McLeary, where creativity blossoms at the intersection of jewelry and flower design. Drawing from her background in both crafts, Sue shows you how to turn fresh blooms into expressive accessories. Discover how floral art can be a powerful form of self-expression—one petal, one piece at a time.

13 lessons (1h 58m)

Floral Jewelry

People have adorned themselves with flowers since time began. Conventional florists participate in this tradition, but many limits themselves to corsages, crowns, and boutonnieres. I'll introduce a fresh way of considering these work-fusing traditional floral designs with jewelry and fashion design. The result is inspiring and ephemeral wearable art!

How to Choose and Treat Flowers

Floral accessories are fleeting, but they still need to be made to last the length of the event they are meant to celebrate. To ensure this, you must learn what materials will lend themselves well to this work. In this lesson, I'll talk about durable, reliable ingredients and the context they need to perform.

Context: The Client and the Occasion

In this lesson, I'll discuss the considerations that guide my process. Before you gather the materials and begin designing your creations, you need to know who they’ll be for and why.

Inspiration

In this lesson, I will share the thought process I use that guides my creative process. I call it “issues and inspiration.” These words guide my choices and balance my needs for self-expression and staying true to my artistic motivations with my client's needs for beautiful, artful, and reliable floral designs.

Sketching and Color Selection

Now, I'll talk about my thoughts on working with color. I'll outline the color selections I made for the three projects of this course and share thoughts on colorful past projects.

Design Mechanics and Structural Selections

Here, you'll learn about the tools and supplies needed to execute the projects. These are my go-to mechanics-simple elements can be combined in many ways, allowing the ability to bring your ideas to life.

Floral Earrings with Wire

To begin with, I'll make a pair of expressive, fresh floral earrings. You'll learn to employ simple, approachable jewelry techniques to transform a handful of hyacinth florets into dynamic, threaded tassel earrings.

Floral Bracelet with Glue

Now you'll learn to make a floral bracelet, my take on the traditional wrist corsage. Unlike a traditional corsage, the brass cuff can be worn long after the flower has passed.

20m

Floral Headpiece with Wire and Glue 1

During this lesson, you'll learn to combine all of your new skills to create an artful, over-the-top floral headpiece. These can be worn as exquisite accessories for a wedding, a gala, a festival, or a photo session. They are as fun to wear as they are to make!

Floral Headpiece with Wire and Glue 2

In this lesson, I'll continue showing you how to create the floral headpiece.

Let's talk about the simple, natural conditioning process I call the “hydration chamber.” During this process, flowers and foliages take in moisture through the microscopic pores in their petals, leaves, and stems, plumping them up and promoting longevity.

The Hydration Chamber

Packing and Storing

So much care is taken to create your work: in this lesson, I will share how to care for and present the finished products.

Sharing Your Work

In this lesson, I will share my tips for taking quality phone photos and sharing them with the world. Sharing my work on Instagram resulted in a publisher finding me and asking me to write a book! If you share, you open yourself up to new experiences and opportunities.

Module 6

Turn your ideas into wearable art using the versatile technique of wax carving. With contemporary jeweler Alicia Goodwin as your guide, you’ll learn how to sculpt intricate forms in jeweler’s wax and prepare them for metal casting. Discover a creative, hands-on process that’s perfect for bringing bold, personal designs to life.

17 lessons (3h 54m)

Tools and Materials 1

Let's go over the tools and materials you will need for the course. If you can't find a certain tool, don't worry, there is almost always a substitute for it somewhere. Try the hardware store if all else fails!

I will go through some more tools and any other notions you will need to keep in mind when working with them.

Tools and Materials 2

This lesson is all about wax, jeweler's wax that is! I will first talk about my favorite waxes to carve with. As you can really get lost choosing, I'm going to try to make it simple for you. We will then start exploring all the necessary techniques to work with this material. You will learn how to join pieces together, add wax, and subtract wax using different tools.

Technique Foundations 1

Now, let's see other tools and techniques you can use to take away wax. As a demonstration, I will then show you how to turn block wax into a wax ring and all the tools you need for that.

Technique Foundations 2

19m

Technique Foundations 3

To make the round shape of the ring, we first have to draw the circumference of the inside and outside diameters on the wax. Here you will see how it's done!

The next step will be taking away the wax from the little block to create the round shape of the ring. For that, we first make the hole, and then we cut out the outside circumference.

Technique Foundations 4

My favorite part of designing is doing research. I love to start by feeling what I want to create. So, first, I create a mood board. Sometimes it's really random, with things I truly love. Other times I have a really focused vision of what I want to create, so I add a variety of themes that fit into what I might be envisioning. Once we have gathered reference images and inspiration, we can start sketching and developing our design. It's really helpful to start with a simple sketch and basic designs, and then build out from there. I will walk you through my process!

Sketching and Design 1

After choosing the design, the next step is to refine the sketches and make the technical drawings. Let's see how the designs I have chosen, the pendant and the ring, turn out!

Sketching and Design 2

To get comfortable with the wax, I will first demonstrate how to make a small dimensional pendant. A second one could also be created to make a pair of earrings! With this pendant, I want to show you how to determine depth and scale, and how to transform something that is so blocky into a piece with a bit of movement.

Carving the Pendant 1

18m

Carving the Pendant 2

The rule of thumb is that you don't want a very thick piece, even if it's hollow. I like to keep my waxes at about 1 mm thick or a little less. I will explain how to use the milimeter gauge to make sure that the wax is the correct thickness overall. Once the pendant is complete, I will finish it using steel wool, sandpaper, and lighter fluid. You want your piece as finished as it can be!

18m

Carving a Sculptural Ring 1

In this lesson, I will show you how to plan out and create a sculptural ring. An essential step in this process is to determine the size of the final piece. So, I will first focus on shaping the inside of the ring, and then I will start shaping the outside following the marking guides I previously made on the wax.

Carving a Sculptural Ring 2

Using the micromotor and a cylinder bur, I will take away the wax from the outside and give the ring its sculptural shape. I will also explain and demonstrate how to round the surface and smooth out the surfaces with blades and sandpaper, coating it with lighter fluid.

Cast and Finishing Touches 1

Where do you send the finished wax molds to make them into metal? In this lesson, you will learn what casting is, what to include in your request to the caster, and how to package your pieces to send them.

Cast and Finishing Touches 2

Once the metal pieces are ready, we have to finish them, which means filing over possible imperfections, smoothing out the surface, and finally sanding. I will show you all the tools and materials you can use for that.

Cast and Finishing Touches 3

The last step is to polish the metal pieces. Again, there are different options for this purpose. I will give you some tips and teach you the polishing technique I use.

How to Create Texture in Your Pieces

Here you will see a demonstration of how to create different kinds of textures in wax using a wax pen.

How to Price Your Pieces

For pricing your work, you will have to consider different criteria such as labor, time invested in the craft and design, the weight of the pieces, what kind of metal you used, and also your experience. Let me share my insights on this topic!

Let's start by defining the concept. In this lesson, you will learn how to create a strong concept for your photoshoot, where you will capture commerce photography, styled still life, and group styled still life. This concept will serve as a basis to start from and a great foundation for the day. You will develop this using mood boards which can be used as a good reference point.

Module 7

Learn how to make small products shine through the art of still-life photography. With Gabriela Silveira as your guide, you’ll explore styling, lighting, and editing techniques to create impactful images that elevate your brand. Work with simple setups and organic elements to craft professional visuals—even on a budget.

13 lessons (2h 30m)

Conceptualisation

Sourcing Props and Backgrounds

In this lesson, you will learn how to source props and backgrounds that will help your products stand out.

Camera Skills

Next, I will show you how to get the most out of your camera using manual exposure.

Preparing the Set

To end this unit, I will talk about how to prepare your studio, what materials you might need, and the effectiveness of tethering for still life photography.

Product Photography for E-commerce

In this lesson, I will demonstrate how to take photographs of small objects for e-commerce and catalogue images. You will learn tips and tricks to harness natural light and effectively capture stable and crisp images.

15m

Styled Still Life Photography: One Object 1

Next, I'll teach you how to create styled still life photography for one object. I will uncover my creative process from organising the set and preparing my tools, to perfecting the composition.

Styled Still Life Photography: One Object 2

As I continue to manipulate the compositions of my shots, I will consider aspects such as height, texture, prop placement, and light to best enhance the appearance of the earrings. You will see how simple adaptations can dramatically change the effect of a photograph. After all, small changes yield powerful results. I will share more tips and tricks related to this intricate process, such as taking reference photos and managing the focal points of your camera.

Styled Still Life Photography: Grouped Objects 1

Here you’ll learn how to create a more complex styled set for groups of objects. As with the previous lesson, you will see my step-by-step process behind this delicate balancing act. I will share a few composition basics that I use a lot, such as instilling an element of drama with my composition to contrast with the minimalist set. I will also teach you the art of balancing colours and textures.

Styled Still Life Photography: Grouped Objects 2

In this lesson, I will adjust the final elements of my composition to ensure that it is aligned with the brief and concept, which in my case is liquid. Once the composition is complete, I will model how to adjust the camera placement, angle, and settings, before playing around to capture different shots.

Selecting the Final Images 1

Next, I’ll go through the images I’ve taken throughout this course. I will discuss themes such as file management, workflow, and how to select the best ones for editing. In this lesson, you will learn how to set up Adobe Lightroom Classic and import the photos ready for the selection process.

Selecting the Final Images 2

Here I will continue to move through the selection process for the styled still life captures of individual and grouped objects. As I do this, notice how I keep my concept in mind: I'm looking for a crisp-edged, clean shot of the product to conform to the commercial nature of the brief. Let's get down to the nitty-gritty!

Editing in Adobe Lightroom

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to colour correct your images in Adobe Lightroom Classic with an explanation of how your environment can affect your editing.

18m

Finishing Touches in Adobe Photoshop

Finally, I will teach you how to clean up your images in Adobe Photoshop and enhance them even further using adjustment layers and masks.