Some of the many Websites & Blogs offered by fellow jewelers, including informational and instructional sites that will help you advance in your jewelry-making and metalsmithing adventures. All sites are listed alphabetically.
Craftsy – This site offers instructional classes on all kinds of crafts, one of them being jewelry making. I started with Craftsy back when Rio Grande contributed a couple free classes at the time to help get the site off to a good start. It was later re-branded as BluPrint, but is back to Craftsy now, and new classes will no doubt be offered in the near future.
Most of the classes target beginning and intermediate training, so I’m eagerly waiting to see if they will offer advanced classes on some of the topics. What I’ve seen has for the most part been of very good quality though. UPDATE: Since about 2021, they have ceased producing any jewelry-related videos, instead choosing to focus mainly on knitting, sewing and cooking. 🙁
Craig Dabler DIY Castings – Craig’s site is where he offers a lot of tips on casting using Delft Clay (a form of sand-casting), as well as tools and materials to do so. One of the products he designed and offers is the Acu-Pour flask and holder for securing your mold and assisting with the pour of molten metal into the mold that I mentioned in one of my blog posts (Men’s Cast Skull Ring), which I really like and use for just about all my Delft Clay casting now.
Doug Napier Jewelry Monk – Doug’s site, Jewelry Monk, offers a lot of great information, tips and ideas for jewelry making that you really should check out. His YouTube channel is where a lot of his tips and techniques are detailed and demonstrated, but he also covers plenty on his web site that isn’t on YouTube, so his site should definitely be bookmarked.
Ganoksin – The Ganoksin web site is where you can not only find a LOT of great articles on jewelry making, stone setting, gems, metals and tools, but also offers a community forum where jewelers can get together and ask questions, ask for help or recommendations, or just “show & tell” their latest creations. You can find the forum at Ganoksin Orchid, which is a gold mine of valuable information in itself!
Gemological Institute of America – The Gemological Institute of America, or GIA, is very well known for their educational information and research on gems and gemology, including resources that include their quarterly journal “Gems & Gemology” with free downloadable articles, the GIA Library of information, “Knowledge Rocks” newsletters, and loads more. There is a “mother-load” (pun intended!) of information GIA offers that you don’t want to miss out on!
Hans Meevis Jewelry Tutorials – The Jewelry Tutorials web site, based out of the Netherlands by Hans Meevis offers both free and non-free jewelry fabrication, gem carving, tips and tool information in both PDF and video format. Although the site does not appear to be regularly updated, Hans provides information that is definitely worth exploring.
International Gem Society – The International Gem Society is one of those sites, that if you are at all even the slightest bit interested in working with gems in your jewelry fabrication, you need to visit, and will no doubt visit often. IGS not only offers general information and articles on gems and minerals that most any jeweler would benefit from, but if you are a gemologist that likes to learn, explore and study the depths of knowledge on various gems and minerals from around the world that are available to us, you can do a lot of it here!
Jewellery Training Solutions – Jewellery Training Solutions is one of those sites that not only offers training in free and non-free formats, but loads of information and tips for any level of jewelry-making skills are presented, too. Based out of Australia, scores of videos and information are available that will help you advance your craft.
Although I have yet to purchase any of their classes (budget conflicts), from the free videos and information I’ve seen, I would not hesitate to purchase the non-free videos (and likely will someday). The training is clear, concise and easy to understand and apply, and is packed with great information. Definitely solid material!
Melissa Muir Metalsmith – I have followed Melissa Muir for years on her web site, newsletters and YouTube videos as she offers a LOT of great advice, from creating and forming metal jewelry, to using and caring for the equipment and tools you have. Aside from creating jewelry, she offers and teaches classes, but is one of those souls that enjoys teaching others about the ins and outs of jewelry-making, whether they’re taking one of her classes or not.
As a matter of fact, even though I don’t have a hydrolic press at this time, she has a class on Craftsy (see above) that I purchased on one of their 50% off sales that I enjoyed watching and learning from. I already knew that just about anything she mentions or teaches is well worth listening to, and was confident that what I would learn from her there would not only give me a head start, but could be immediately applied when I do take the plunge and get that press some day, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed!
Nancy L.T. Hamilton – Nancy Hamilton is another jeweler I’ve followed for years as well, both on her blog site as well as on YouTube. Although some may consider her somewhat eccentric in ways, this jeweler definitely knows her stuff, so don’t let any of her whimsical ways fool you!
Nancy offers some really great information, recommendations, resources and scores of valuable tips, tidbits and reasoning behind her jewelry making that are definitely worth making note of on her blog. When you bookmark her site, don’t forget to subscribe to her YouTube channel as well… you won’t be disappointed!
SC Studios LLC – Saign Charlestein is one of those artists who without their help in providing some of the best (and free) instructional videos on Chasing & Repoussé that I’ve found, I likely would not have ventured down the path of starting to learn that craft.
Not only is Saign a master at the art of Chasing & Repoussé, but creates some of the very best quality tools for the craft as well. His hammers and punches are as gorgeous as the works of art he creates with them, and if you like working metal into bowls, vases, cups and other items he offers a good selection of forming stakes as well!
United States Faceters Guild – This web site is a trove of valuable information on faceting, including libraries, faceting designs available for download, an online community and more (including an annual competition where you can even earn your certification). If you facet gems, you should definitely check out their web site.