Jewelry Arts Classes, Tools & Lapidary
Classes
Welcome to jewelry classes at Veberod Gem Gallery! We have a long history of offering all sorts of jewelry-making and metalsmithing classes to our artists community. Our goal is to make learning the jewelry arts enjoyable and more accessible to everyone. Starting summer 2023 we will not be requiring vaccine records. Class descriptions may still need updating and we will re-evaluate as conditions warrant but lets hope things continue to improve! Mask requirements will be based on CDC recommendations. If you have any symptoms prior to a class, please let us know and we will be happy to reschedule you to a later date!
We have found that students in Silversmithing 1 are the most likely to need individual attention so we are currently limiting those classes to four students. Because of that, and the limited number of Saturdays available in each month, the Saturday Silversmithing 1 classes are the most likely to be sold out. We encourage new silversmithing students to try and sign up for one of the weekday options which are nearly always available and less expensive!
To become comfortable at silversmithing requires lots of practice! If you have trouble continuing at home we have two low cost options for practicing in the classroom. Mentored open studios sessions with Camille are almost every Wednesday from 4-7 for $30. You can also sign up to retake any of the classes for half the price. Open Studio for Veberod students is now arranged directly with Camille and paid for in the store. Always check with Camille before coming in!
There is a discount available for retaking a class (RETAKE). Please use the code only when applicable.
To ensure you're up on the latest news class-wise, be sure to sign up for our newsletter
APRIL calendar
MAY calendar
JUNE calendar
To check availability or sign up for classes, click on the gold button below. If you have difficulty signing up, let us know!
Tools
We have one of the most extensive collection of jewelry-making tools stocked in-house in the Twin Cities! Why shop online when you can get guidance from a professional and see what you're purchasing up close!
We have everything to get you set up with a home workshop! Whether you’re a beader/pearl knotter or looking to do full-on metal smithing, we’ve got you covered. Plus, we offer expert advice on what’s the best tool for the job you’re working on. Come in to see our selection of:
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Jewelry benches, lights and work surfaces
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Flexshafts and a full range of finishing bristles, brushes, discs and more
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Saws, shears, die cutters and dapping blocks
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Hammers for stamping, texturing, fold-forming and beyond
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Lost wax casting supplies and materials
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Torches small and large
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Findings and pre-made settings for small cabochons and gemstones
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Metals, gemstones, gemstone beads and pearls and cabochons
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Lapidary
We carry Lortone lapidary equipment as well as a full line of sintered diamond carving points and tumbling supplies. If you want to learn to make cabochons, we teach one-on-one classes in that as well with purchase of equipment.
Lortone Tumblers
Lortone tumblers are known for their durability and quiet operation. Their all rubber barrels have been the standard in rotary tumblers for many years. We stock Lortone tumblers from 3# to 12# capacity.
Tumbling Tips
Rotary tumblers (Lortone) polish rocks through a series of four steps which are outlined below:
Coarse grind 60/90 grit 1Tb/pound
Medium grind 150/220 grit 1Tb/pound
Fine grind 500 grit 1Tb/pound
Polish Titanium Oxide 1/2Tb/pound
Barrels should start out about 3/4 full and not be allowed to drop below 2/3 full. If too much rock grinds away and the barrel becomes less than 2/3 full just add some polished rocks or use plastic pellets to refill. If you do use plastic pellets, keep a separate bag of pellets for each grit so that you do not carry some embedded grit forward and contaminate the next step. To figure the amount of grit, just weigh the barrel empty then fill to 3/4 full with rocks and weigh again. Add enough water to make a slurry (like gravy) with the grit if possible. Too much water just allows the grit to ride on the bottom of the barrel. Each step should run about a week. Step one does all of the shaping so if you are not happy with the roundness after one week, repeat step one with fresh grit. It is common practice to follow the polish step with a one day tumble in water containing a powdered soap like Dreft.
The most common problem is to not get everything properly washed off between steps. Just 1 or 2 grains of grit carried forward can do a lot of damage when they are tumbling around for a week!
Enjoy your tumbler! Be sure to let us know if you're having problems. We'll be happy to try and help you figure out what the problem is. If you're having great success, we love to hear about that too! Bring in some stones for show and tell!
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