learn – Sun Lakes Rock Gem & Silver Club

Flash from the Past

by Cathy Porter Appeared in the Sun Lakes “Splash”, June 2021 The SLRGS Club has been around an exceptionally long time. Opal M. Rickensrud was the Secretary of the Club in 1984. This a great article written by her in the Splash in April 1984. She is an entertaining writer. Makes for some fun reading. She starts by telling how a guest speaker from the National Treasure Hunters League located in Apache Junction whose subject is Metal Detectors spoke to the Club. How metal detecting sounds like a great hobby for people “our age – not too strenuous”. Do people still do that? Sounds interesting. … Continue reading →

Gorgeous Glass

Discover the world of gorgeous glass at the Sun Lakes Rock Gem and Silver Club. No need for previous experience as the club offers wonderful instructions in many types of glass. Glass has been used since Ancient Greek and Roman times. Notably stained glass to depict religious scenes in churches, etc. SLRGS offers three types of glass classes. Stained glass is cold glass. It involves cutting and combining different colored glass and textures. Then using copper foiling and soldering techniques to bind the pieces together. Fused glass which is warm glass involved using a kiln. The glass is fired at … Continue reading →

Classes in a Variety of Art Forms

by Linda Shanahan Appeared in the Sun Lakes “Splash”, March 2021 The Sun Lakes Rock Gem and Silver Club is more than just Rocks, Gems and Silver. We offer classes in a variety of art forms. This month we highlight four unique classes that might be of interest to you. PMC (METAL CLAY) is an alternative to working in lost wax or silversmithing. The metal clay is available in silver, copper and bronze. The metal clay product is rolled out, textured, molded into a piece and embellished before firing in a kiln. Once the binder is burned out in the … Continue reading →

The Heart of the Club

by Linda Shanahan Appeared in the Sun Lakes “Splash”, February 2021 Here is what’s happening and how you can get involved. Classes are offered in a variety of skills including lapidary, lost wax, stained glass, dichroic glass, silversmithing, wire wrapping, faceting, opals, gourds and Ming trees just to mention a few. We invite you to join our club and participate in one or more of these classes. You need no background in art, just a willingness to try something new. Once you successfully complete a class you are eligible to pay a small fee and work in the open shop … Continue reading →

Woven Wire Bracelets

by Linda Shanahan Appeared in the Sun Lakes “Splash”, January 2021 Creating wire wrapped jewelry can be fun and extremely rewarding. Woven wire bracelets can be made using many kinds of wire incorporated in a multitude of designs. You can use just one specific wire or choose to mix the wire; copper, bronze, gold, or silver just to mention a few. You can use any kind of less expensive nontoxic metal wire; mixed metals are currently extremely popular. Your design can be made with thin wire such as 22 gauge or a thicker wire such as 10 to 8 … Continue reading →

Turquoise, the Sacred Stone of the Southwest

by Linda Shanahan Appeared in the Sun Lakes “Splash”, November 2020 Turquoise was thought to have been sacred pieces of the sky by Persians, Tibetans and Mayans. This stone is a combination of aluminum, copper, phosphorous, water and other local ingredients responsible for changing the color or adding matrix. The most rare and valuable stones are found right here, in the Southwest. There are about twenty mines in the Southwest United States that supply or have supplied gem quality turquoise. The most common mines are found in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada. Most of these mines have been mined … Continue reading →

Lost Wax

by Linda Shanahan Appeared in the Sun Lakes “Splash”, October 2020 The lost wax casting process is widely used as it offers asymmetrical casting with very fine details to be manufactured relatively inexpensively. The process involves producing a metal casting using a refractory mold made from a wax replica pattern. Steps involved in the process of lost wax casting are: Create a wax pattern of your piece. Pre-made wax patterns are available in our shops. Sprue the wax pattern. Mix Investment material, add to can with the wax pattern. Set to harden. Eliminate the wax pattern by melting it … Continue reading →

Precious Metal Clay (PMC)

One of the more interesting classes being offered through Sun Lakes Rock Gem and Silver class is Precious Metal Clay (PMC). No special tools are required and the results are only restricted only by the imagination of the students to transform a clay-like substance into any shape they desire. Under the tutelage of an instructor they learn to mold, texture and form the clay into jewelry and other small objects of decor. Once they are satisfied with the form, it is dried under heat to a leather-like texture. Then it is cleaned, trimmed and rough edges removed for the final … Continue reading →

Sun Lakes Rock Gem & Silver Club

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