So in this post I will go through some pieces we’ve soldered in class. Note that we initially used copper for soldering, due to its high melting point. Silver is much more trickier to solder, due to its low melting point, and its heat-conduciveness. We initially soldered flat pieces, but pretty quickly we soldered our …

Soldering part 1
We have now proceeded to soldering in our studies. So in this blog post I will describe the necessary equipment needed for soldering, as well the general theory. There is definitely quite a bit more equipment and materials needed as opposed to sawing. The gallery below has the basics: Basic rules of soldering: Soldering is the …

Making our first cut-out design part 2
The autumn break is over and we’re back in business! I’ve finished my design, sanded and polished. Here it is: This portion took about 6 hours to make, from the cut-out design, to creating a work plan and estimated budget (!) for our jewelry piece and to finish the piece with mirror finish. The piece …

making our first cut-out design
This week and the next one before our autumn break our task will be creating our own cut-out design. We will be making a drawing with a theme of our choice, make sure it fits into the 50 x 50 mm. piece of silver, and then scan and retrace the drawing in Rhinoceros-program. New software …

Polishing. Week 3.
It’s a warm October in Finland, trees are getting beautifully yellow and red, and our class is workin on sanding and polishing techniques. Polishing metal can be done different ways, and usually the work flow goes from the coarsest sandpaper to the finest, and after the sanding the metal piece is then finished with a …

My first two weeks; what have I learned so far?
So what is actually taught in a Finnish jewelry school? Well, quite a lot. We have a packed curriculum, and even though the pandemic is causing the school to switch most non hands-on learning to online, we have also spent time learning the ropes of hand-sawing copper, as well marketing. In the Finnish curriculum, jewelry …

About metals.. and my opinion on distance learning.
So the first two weeks have gone by, and we have been getting used to the routine that includes way too much distance learning and meetings than what I’d like to spend my time on. I am a fan of practical learning, and I would never exchange a normal, on-premises learning for distance learning. Of …
About metals.. and my opinion on distance learning.Read More
What is Tââvas?
The word is from Skolt Sápmi and means ”towards or to North, or to the open lake”. The root word Tâ’vv means North. It is a Skolt Sápmi word, because I am myself Skolt Sápmi, and I like to use Skolt Sápmi language wherever I can . I find that the word depicts where I’d …
Introduction – about me
Hello lovely people! And thank you for taking the time to read my blog 🙂 I am a thirty-something, Skolt-Sápmi slash Finnish slash American jewelry design student, illustrator, tattoo artist and mom 🙂 I have lived all over, and done a lot of creative things in my life. This blog is about giving you readers …
My first blog post!
Finally I bit the bullet and started my own blog! This site is created through close mentoring and stewardship with my teacher, Anu Ilo, and my school, Oulu area polytechnic college. I am studying jewelry design, focusing on silver, gold, and using the methods such as 3D-printing and machining to create my jewelry. This first …