Another class at Bead It! Kailua: Bangles of Gold

It's no secret that I love our local bead store, Bead It! in Kailua.  This past weekend, I was delighted to get a seat in one of their newest classes, Bangles of Gold.  To make a long story short, it was a GREAT class, and I am REALLY excited about the things I learned!

Since the class teaches you how to solder gold filled wire, it's actually quite challenging, but the instructor, Brendan (also the owner) is really experienced in jewelry making and very enthusiastic about teaching.  Using the materials on the class supply list, I was able to make 4 bangles and 2 rings.  

Granted, I chose to cut apart two of my soldered joints so in the 4 hour class, I was able to attempt 8 solders.  Plenty enough to get the technique down enough to be able to replicate at home.  Not to mention the class handouts from Bead It are always terrific.

Up until this point, I've more or less avoided working with gold.  First of all, it's too expensive to really experiment with.  I mean, one troy ounce of gold is over $1700!   Still, I really dislike gold plated anything (except maybe vermeil).  Actually, I hate silver plated too.  It's just not durable.  Surprisingly, I really like the look of the gold filled wire.    Not to mention, $57 for half an ounce of wire, retail, is a little high, but not completely out of reach.

Yay!

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