Master Class: Gold on Steel with Bette Barnett

Master Class: Gold on Steel with Bette Barnett

Class | Available

MC
8/3/2025-8/8/2025
View Schedule
$700.00
$21.00

Master Class: Gold on Steel with Bette Barnett

Class | Available

Ferrous Magic: A 5-Day Journey into Steel Jewelry Design, Form, Fusion and Finishing Techniques:   
INSTRUCTOR:    BETTE BARNETT


Discover the magic of steel in this five-day immersive Master Class. Steel offers rich creative potential for metalsmiths despite its humble reputation as an industrial material. It gives jewelers the opportunity to work with an alternative yet common metal, and by applying vision and skill, elevate it to art.

Advantages of Steel

Steel has many practical advantages, not the least of which are cost and accessibility. Steel is strong, malleable, and ductile, making it durable and workable. It is lightweight, making larger pieces of jewelry comfortable. Topping the list of advantages is steel's high melting temperature, which makes it ideal for fusing other metals to it. Fusing gold and other non-ferrous metals to steel takes it to another level and results in jewelry that has a modern, urban edge but also feels ancient and rich.

As alternative metal, steel has another big advantage—it’s different—and invites you to dare to stand apart and try new things. Steel can serve as a catalyst that opens the floodgates of creativity.

About This Master Class

This innovative Master Class covers a wide range of techniques and learning segments where you will find opportunities to open doorways to unexplored creative territory. We will begin with the basics of working with steel, establishing a foundation regardless of your experience. Then we will explore the creative aspects of designing jewelry with steel and the many opportunities it offers for you to think outside the box.

We will dive into a range of different specialized techniques for fusing steel with gold and other metalstocreatepiecesthatembodybothstrengthandelegance.Oneofthese techniques, painting with powdered metals, is a new approach that allows you to use powdered metals in the manner of paint to create colorful hues and shades on steel surfaces.

In the workshop you will learn the ancient technique of Keum Boo on steel, which involves of burnishing fine gold foil to a metal. In the U.S. this technique is used almost exclusively on silver as the base material. You will learn how to apply this technique with steel using both gold and silver foil. Finally, we will cover a range of different finishes and sealers to protect your steel jewelry from future rust and corrosion.

Class Kit Fee: $85
Estimated Materials Fee: $50-$80 (Optional: Plus the cost of gold foil from Allcraft=$100.)
Prerequisites: Basic metalsmithing skills, comfortable working with a jewelers torch

 

MASTER SERIES REFUND POLICIES

  • Once you have enrolled and paid tuition, there are no refunds or credits issued for Master Class Workshops if you are unable to attend.
  • By enrolling in a Master Class workshop, you affirm your acceptance of our no refunds policy and represent to us that you possess the appropriate skills to comply with the prerequisites.  
  • In the event that William Holland School must cancel the workshop, a refund or credit will be issued.  
  • Master Classes are not eligible for Instructor Free Class, scholarships or Instructor family member pricing.

**MINIMUM OF 6 STUDENTS REQUIRED FOR THIS CLASS

 

  • WorkshopStructure

    Because this workshop emphasizes creativity and exploration, it will include plenty of time for you to practice and apply the techniques covered. Each day will be structured with a combination of instruction, interactive discussion and hands-on work. The instructor will provide individual support and guidance throughout.

    During the workshop, you will have the guidance and opportunity to produce at least three completed pieces of steel jewelry. Patterns for these pieces will be included in the course handout and you are free to use the patterns or create your own designs. The workshop will include a friendly competition with different categories. During the last afternoon, we will gather to share and discuss our work. As part of this gathering, awards and associated prizes will be announced.

    Curriculum

    Day 1

    • Advantages of steel for jewelry
    • Basics of working with steel—sourcing, preventing rust, shearing, sawing, forming, texturing, soldering, removing oxidation
    • Alternative forms of steel—wire, perforated sheet and woven steel mesh
    • Design concepts and considerations
    • Design explorations (outside-the-box opportunities of steel)

    Day 2

    • Overview of fusion techniques
    • Alloying gold, silver and copper for fusion to steel
    • Creating exotic alloys for fusion to steel (shibuichi, shakudo and electrum)
    • Preparing metals for fusing

    Day 3

    • Basic fusion techniques
    • Order of operations
    • Advanced fusion techniques (controlling the flow, combining metals
    • and troubleshooting)
    • Introduction to powdered metals
    • Basicpowderedmetalsfusiontechniques
    • Painting with powdered metals—new technique that allows you to use painted metals like paint to create colorful hues and shades on steel surfaces

    Day 4

    • Hands-on explorations in advanced fusion techniques, including powdered metals
    • Keum Boo on steel—preparation and process
    • Explorations in Keum Boo on steel

    Day 5

    • Patination of steel jewelry—traditional black patinas, brown rust and leather-like patinas, solvent dyes in a rainbow of colors
    • Patination techniques—application, layering and troubleshooting
    • Sealing steel jewelry—oil, wax and lacquer
    • Sealing application techniques
    • Presentation and discussion of work and awards

     

     

  • Student  Supplies

    Please bring the following supplies to the class.

    • Silver solder (easy, medium and hard)
    • Fine silver casting grains, .5 ounce
    • Charcoal block (Must be new as it will be used for alloying)
    • Sawblades, Nanoblades from PepeTool, 3/0 and 4/0
    • Jeweler scale
    • Burnishers (2 or more, any style)
    • Sharp scissors Optional, but nice to have
    • Gold foil for Keum Boo, standard weight, half sheet (2” x 4”) Allcraft (Note: While the foil is rather costly, it is incredibly beautiful when bonded to steel and only Allcraft has the necessary quality for steel. Instructor will also have a limited supply of gold foil available for sale during class.)
Barnett, Bette
Bette Barnett

Bette Barnett

Studio Jeweler, Educator, Author

 

Bette is an authority on steel jewelry and actively explores new techniques in this area. After beginning her career in 2010 she started studying the steel/gold fusing process in 2013 and continued to focus on steel as a productive metal for jewelry. She developed or refined many innovative techniques for creating steel jewelry, including Keum Boo on steel, fusing alternative metals to steel, fusing powdered metals, working with non-traditional forms such as perforated steel sheet and woven mesh and, most recently, painting with powdered metals.

 

Bette has published articles in Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist and MJSA Journal. Her book Creating Steel Jewelry, published by Artisan ideas in September 2024, is a comprehensive how-to guide for all metalsmiths, including jewelers, bladesmiths and blacksmiths who want to venture into new areas.