Pockets full of pebbles from the shores of Lake Superior? Ready to turn them into jewelry? Pebble drilling has long been a popular way to turn lake treasures into jewelry. But not all pebbles are meant to be drilled. In this four-day class, students will learn several different ways to capture and display pebbles. The class will introduce the basics of prong setting, bezel setting and cold connections, skills that can be used to capture pebbles in sterling silver and turn them into beautiful pendants, necklaces, bracelets or earrings. Students will walk the beach for an hour the first day gathering pebbles and then spend the remainder of the course creating unique jewelry. Prong settings and other metal fabrication methods allow the jeweler to showcase that special pebble or set a stone that’s not perfectly smooth without drilling a hole in the pebble. We will also drill a few stones and incorporate them into our projects. This is an opportunity to learn basic metalsmithing techniques, or expand your skill set to capture your North Shore treasures! There will be new projects for returning students. All tools will be provided, and sterling silver will be available for purchase at the time of the class.

You will need the following tools for this class:

• Closed toe shoes and long pants are required
• Eye magnification, if needed to see small detail
• Small old hand towel to dry your metal pieces
• Dust mask if you are bothered by fine dust particles
• Fine black Sharpie pen
• Pen and paper for notetaking
• Bring small pebbles, sea glass and/or cabochons for design consideration. You will have the opportunity to pick pebbles from the beach the first day of class

• Flat Nose Pliers – 2
• Half Round Pliers
• Round Nose Pliers
• Half Round File
• Set of Needle Files (especially the round needle file)
• Nippers
• Jewelers hand saw
• Bezel pusher and burnisher
• Ruler