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Alternative Unconventional Clasps & Closures Class 1
October 16, 2024

Instructor Susanne Williams | In this 3 day workshop, participants will create 4 different samples of alternative clasp mechanisms. These clasp mechanisms can be modified and incorporated in unique and unusual ways, in innumerable variations, into necklace and bracelet closures.
Register for EITHER the in-person OR virtual event. If attending virtually, live interaction with the in-person class will occur via Zoom. If attending in-person, please plan to arrive no more than 15 minutes early to the class.
----- CAN'T ATTEND LIVE? ----- ----- WANT TO REVIEW WHAT YOU LEARNED? -----
A recording of the workshop will be available to all participants for 30 days following the workshop.
Transitions: As of May 1, 2024, there will be an administrative fee of $30 applicable for any changes made to your class format, including moving from in-person to virtual sessions. This fee is implemented to cover the administrative costs associated with processing such changes.
Note: Each class is independent, so feel free to choose the 3-day or 2-day session—or both! Each class will focus on creating different styles of unconventional clasps. If you take both sessions, you'll come away learning how to make 6 different styles!
In this 3 day workshop, participants will create 4 different samples of alternative clasp mechanisms. These clasp mechanisms can be modified and incorporated in unique and unusual ways, in innumerable variations, into necklace and bracelet closures - becoming integrated into the design, or as the main attraction of a jewelry piece. Clasps don’t have to be an afterthought at the back of a chain. These are clasp mechanisms that are functional, fun, intriguing and invite being taken apart and put back together like a puzzle.
Class 1:
In this 3-day session/class (October 16 – 18), we will create the above four clasp mechanism samples in sterling silver: 2 versions of a Rotating Insert Clasp, a basic, and a more complex version of that clasp, an Interlocking Puzzle Clasp, and a Wedge Lock Clasp.
On October 15th, the evening before the workshop, Suzanne will give an approximately sixty-minute presentation that will introduce participants to many different types of clasping methods and mechanisms for jewelry, both historical and contemporary. It will also include a section on clasp inspirations - ideas coming from non-jewelry sources, to inspire creative thinking about clasps.