Events
Northwest Jewelry and Metal Showcase at the Gathering of the Guilds
Every year, Portlanders have the opportunity to purchase the work of some of the Pacific Northwest’s finest jewelry designers and metal artists when CMAG’s annual Northwest Jewelry and Metal Showcase is held as part of The Gathering of the Guilds. You can find us at the Oregon Convention Center, easily accessible by car and public transit. Over 300 weavers, ceramicists, metalsmiths, woodworkers, beaders, and glass artists will take part the Gathering of the Guilds.
Married Metals with Thomas Tietze
Learn how to add gold elements to your silver jewelry a fun two-day class taught by Thomas Tietze. You can find more information and register here. Registration opens January 1.
March Member Meeting: Repetitive Stress Injuries and Ergonomics for Jewelers
Join us on March 19 to learn about ways to take care of your body at the bench! CMAG member Sharon Rose has over twenty years of experience providing acupuncture, acupressure, and medical massage. Her areas of expertise include muscle and joint dysfunction, chronic pain, foot health, and stress/anxiety. She focuses on treating the cause of the problem and teaching self-care to speed up recovery.
January Member Meeting: Bench Tips and Tricks
Mary Wong and Thomas Tietze will present a range of useful bench and process tips at the regular Tuesday meeting. Have you had that “Aha” experience, maybe at a workshop or while observing another jeweler, that changed everything? We’ll come with sackful of such tips and tricks gathered from over 80 years of collective experience. Topics covered will range from Chemical Processes and annealing/hardening to Bench Modifications and Tool Hacks. Bring a guest and come prepared with pen and paper for a fun and informative session.
Holiday Party
CMAG’s annual holiday party will be hosted by Sharon Rose at her home in Beaverton! We’ll send out a link to the registration form in the November newsletter so you can RSVP and volunteer to bring a sweet or savory dish. It is a nonsmoking home with two friendly cats and stairs to access.
Guilds in the Village
CMAG is participating in the second annual Guilds in the Village sale at the Multnomah Arts Center! This a two-day craft show that runs simultaneously with the Winter Arts & Crafts Show at MAC. You can apply for the show here.
November Member Meeting: Travels of an Old Jeweler
CMAG member Bruce McKay will present on his jewelry and lapidary work and his travels around the world to write articles for Rock & Gem Magazine.
Outside of CMAG: Clasps: From Simple to Structural
A three-day online class taught and hosted by CMAG member Rachel Morris.
Keum Boo Alchemy
This evening workshop, taught by Debra Carus, is designed to introduce beginners to the Korean technique of applying gold to silver. It will take place on Thursday, October 26 at the Multnomah Arts Center. You can find more information and register here.
October Member Meeting: Tube Setting Large Stones
CMAG member Pat McCormick will demonstrate tube setting larger stones (between 3 and 9 millimeters), including oval stones.
Outside of CMAG: Bezels Less Ordinary
A three-day online class taught and hosted by CMAG member Rachel Morris.
September Member Meeting: Pricing, Actual Value, and Perceived Value
For this pricing session, please bring in 1-3 pieces that you would like assessed. You’ll fill out a form listing the basic materials on the front, with the price you’re currently considering on the back.
Everyone’s work will be displayed on similar stands, without the price showing, and with no identifying artist info.
After a brief discussion about our goals, CMAG members will then be asked to stroll the CMAG gallery of work and submit “secret ballots” of their recommended price for each piece.
As a group, we’ll unveil the range of prices received from the crowd and see how they compare to the price you chose for your work. Are you right in range? Much too low? Higher than others perceive the piece to be worth? Is there a wide disagreement about prices in the mix?
Bang and Bend: Small-Scale Jewelry Forging
This 3-day class with Andy Cooperman will explore small-scale studio forging with a focus on rings. We’ll get hammers swingin’ working with some exercises in copper, brass and bronze and then move into sterling with the goal of finishing at least one wearable ring or object. The skills learned here can be applied across a spectrum of metals and scales.
Topics include simple model making, tapering, clean up and alternative forging methods.
Art in the Pearl 2023
The annual art festival Art in the Pearl is held at the North Park Blocks each year on Labor Day weekend. CMAG will be sharing a demonstration tent with Greg Wilbur. Click on the title to sign up for a slot!
August Member Meeting: Swap Meet and Potluck
Please join us for our annual swap meet and potluck at the Multnomah Arts Center! Please bring a snack to share and whatever you want to sell, trade, or give away. This includes hand tools, gems and metals, machinery, and consumables like solder and flux. If you’d like to sell something too large to bring in, you can bring a picture of it.
July 2023 Member Meeting: Indio Metal Arts
Our July presenter is Shelly Durica-Laiche of Indio Metal Arts. Shelly creates decorative and functional metal art from reclaimed materials and was the 2023 recipient of the CMAG scholarship to attend the artist collaborative Frogwood. This weeklong immersion joined nearly 60 artists to create artworks using a multitude of media. Shelly will share how she began her journey as an artist, her process of creating, and how Frogwood was a transformative experience.
June Member Meeting: Jane Pellicciotto
Jane Pellicciotto uses polymer clay, sterling silver, enamel on copper and more to create miniature works of art. Her process includes sketching, making paper models, creating computer-drawn templates, or diving right in and seeing where a path leads. Mistakes are her favorite teacher. The urban environment, signage, ancient structures, Japanese design, sculpture and fine art are her muses — and even the magical patterns hidden inside a vegetable.
Enameling Explored
CMAG member Anne Johnson is offering a casual introduction to enameling at her home studio (the address will be provided after registration).
Please bring: a dust mask to wear while sifting, a chair, a bagged lunch (microwave ok), and some excitement. You may also bring a piece that you would like to add some color to, though that is not required. It can be copper, fine silver, or sterling that has been depletion gilded.
We will talk about enameling basics, cleaning the metal, how to apply enamel, and knowing your furnace. We will be using a kiln as the heat source.
Outside of CMAG: Hollow Forms in Silver Workshop
A three-day online class taught and hosted by CMAG member Rachel Morris.
May Member Meeting: Grey Proctor
CMAG member Grey Proctor will share his filigree expertise with us at our May member meeting. He will explore the history of filigree metalworking, demonstrate the wire making process, and discuss practical aspects of the technique: how to set up your “framing,” what solders to use, where to use them, what temperature and flame types to use, gauges of wire, finishing techniques, and how to incorporate stone settings in your piece.
Gathering of the Guilds and Spring Show
The biggest craft event of the year! CMAG and five other local guilds are coming together for the Gathering of the Guilds at the Oregon Convention Center on the last weekend of April.
A Virgin Goes to Tucson: A First-Hand Account of a First-Timer
CMAG Member Carli Schultz traveled to Tucson, AZ in January to experience the Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase, her first time at the largest gem and mineral show in the world. She’s back with a trip report and lot of photos, video, information and stories. If you’re a veteran of the show or have never been and are curious, you’ll enjoy her observations, tips, info, and show summaries, and get a jump on being a future attendee! With over 30 individual shows happening during the Gem and Mineral Show, it's a lot to navigate, but Carli can help!
Introduction to Wax Carving with Rachel Morris
In this two-day, live, hands-on workshop, you’ll learn some of the most common approaches to constructing wax forms for eventual molding and casting. We’ll practice both additive and subtractive techniques (building up and carving away), with multiple projects using soft and hard wax.
Stonesetting with Mary Wong
Continuing our stonesetting theme from February, longtime CMAG member Mary Wong will share a video compilation of stonesetting principles and applications that go beyond bezels.
Tube Setting with Thomas Tietze
Thomas Tietze will demonstrate tube setting techniques at our February 21 meeting. Thomas is an accomplished jeweler, designer and instructor, with more than 45 years of experience. After an apprenticeship and further training from the Revere Academy in San Francisco, he was instructed by the renowned Dieter Mueller-Stach at CSULB.
Tucson Gem and Mineral Show
The Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase is the largest gem show in the world, attracting around 65,000 visitors a year. The main event is the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, which will run February 9–12 from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. You can find more information here.
Social Media
CMAG member Catherine Chandler will share tips on using social media. Social media can often seem overwhelming and intimidating, but it doesn't have to be! It is a visual communication tool and can be utilized to connect your work and business to others in whatever way works best for YOU.
Gallerist Panel Discussion
Our November meeting will feature a panel discussion amongst members and owners of three Portland galleries: Guardino Gallery, Waterstone Gallery, and Alberta Street Gallery.
Virtual Class with E. Douglas Wunder
Artist E. Douglas Wunder will teach a virtual class on creating sculptural works using layered annodized titanium and cold connections.
Collaboration Events
Join us for our October member meeting to hear metalsmith Greg Wilbur talk about the joy and educational benefits of collaborative events.