Several members of the Triangle Jewelry Makers (TJM) and I participated in this Makers Faire.
A great crowd turned out for this amazing showcase of different crafts, from fiber craft (spinning, knitting, quilting, t-shirt modifications), robotics, wood craft (laser cut wood structures, walking sticks, hand etched wood ornaments) to jewelry making.
It was a great opportunity for our group to showcase our differing skills in jewelry making and to just show "how" hand made jewelry is made. We provided demo sessions on wire work, chainmaille and metalsmith techniques.
Jen, who is the founding member, demonstrated how to make wire rings and showcased her latest book featuring her steampunk jewelry. Jill does great chainmaille - rings, bracelets, necklaces. Jennifer made bird's nest components and Becky did a fabulous session on making a bangle with silk and copper.
I was kept busy all day with showing and discussing metalsmith techniques - sawing/piercing, filing, metal forming with the doming block, use of the flex shaft with drill bits, deburring, and polishing, etc. Advocating safety issues - wearing safety glasses and dust mask and keeping fingers out of the way of the flex shaft drill bits and burrs (use of the ring holder). One man closely examined the wooden holder on how simply it was made (maybe he was tinkering with making one himself?).
