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As we ended the year and the news of the new and more contagious covid variant came out, we really started to feel like we were in a crazy video game so, here we share with you our 2020 Game Recap.
Congratulations, it looks like you’ve made it with us to Level 12 of this awful Game of 2020. We’d give it no stars if possible; at this point all we can do is hold on to a sense of humor and keep going. Level 1 began well, we had a year of trips planned and classes scheduled for our Jewelry Lab business. The worst demon in our land, Orange Windbag, was slashed with the Sword of Impeachment and things were looking good! But then the Land of Koalas caught fire and rumors surfaced of a mysterious new foe in a distant land. Nevertheless, by Level 2 Ame had saved up enough Coin for a trip to visit her father, Vance of La Playa, in the Land of Mariachis and Anne made a foray to the nearby Land of Saguaro to learn patina alchemy.
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At our online Holiday Party we looked back at some 2020 highlights (we did find some!) and shared our plans for 2021. The recipe exchange was a hoot with concoctions for tasty treats as well as Mokume Goo from Earl, DIY Solder from Sky and Niello from Anne (note: don't eat!). We also had fun enjoying everyone's home decor and festive apparel. The winners of our holiday cheer prize drawing were Patty (congrats on the agate burnisher!) and Joanne (edible gemstones!). After that we heard from several people about their own 2020 - good and bad - along with hopes and dreams for 2021. We capped it all off with our Holiday Raffle. Many thanks to everyone who decorated, dressed up and shared goodies. Read on to download the recipes and get some cool free coloring pages and a handy circle divider tool.
 Cyberweek 2020 sale! I've got 26 listings on sale - 25% off, one week only - Nov 30-Dec 7! These are all in-stock items, ready to ship in time for the holidays - there are even a few gold mokume rings. Treat yourself to the best quality custom mokume gane rings available on etsy. I use only precious metals, so my rings are built to last a lifetime. I fuse my own mokume gane billets and create my rings from scratch at my San Diego studio (customer visits welcomed by appointment). Please enjoy browsing the bracelets, earrings, cufflinks, pendants, boxes and RINGS! Feel free to contact me (619) 488-7540 with any questions. Shop my Etsy sale.
Thursday, December 17th from 5-6pm Pacific Time
Meet & Greet starts at 4:45pm. Online via Zoom - link on our home page. Join us online for an hour of glad tidings and merriment. We'll take a look back at some 2020 highlights (you know Ame, she'll find something good) and share our plans for 2021, hold our recipe exchange (be sure to send in your favorite recipes for brownies, cookies, patinas, billet stacks, etc.), see who has the most festive decor and apparel (winner gets an agate burnisher!) AND we'll raffle off some goodies including a couple of great jewelry books and some GOLD (seriously!!). Totally free, just tune in by clicking the link on our home page. Save the date and don't forget to decorate your space, don some gay apparel and send in your recipe. Click images to view larger.
 Anne Wolf is our guide this month for a fascinating photo journey into the gorgeous niello work of southeastern Turkey. This time she'll discuss several striking pieces from her collection, all purchased during her trip to the region in 2005. After that, we take a deep dive into a topic many of you have burning questions about... working with torches in your home studio - specifically working with gas. Which type is best? Where do you buy tanks? How do you safely store them? What about insurance? What about oxygen concentrators?!? Read more for resource links and photos!
 A friendly group of about 10 of us chit-chatted away while working in our home studios at the November Sawing Circle on the 19th ... actual sawing transpired even! Along with filing, hammering and all sorts of comparing notes and discussing tools, torches, tanks and the finer points of patinas. Our shared project was fold-formed copper leaves and there were some fantastic pieces completed (Go Kathy and Karen!). Anne filmed (and I edited) a a great video tutorial about the project so it was fun to see it put into use. Anne also gave us all a sneak peek of a new mokume pattern she's working on from an ancient Japanese tsuba - the pattern is sakura leaves on water. Wow! We also heard about new projects from Jan (cool essential oil pendants), Earl (mokume billet fusing), and Carol (amazing piercing work). See, these are the cool things that make Sawing Circle fun! For photos and a link to the view click Read More.
 Thursday, November 19th 5-6pm PDT : Meet & Greet starts at 4:45pm
Anne Wolf is our guide this month for a fascinating photo journey into the gorgeous niello work of southeastern Turkey - this time she'll discuss a gorgeous silver belt from her collection. After that, we're taking a deep dive into a topic many of you have burning questions about... working with torches in your home studio - specifically working with gas. Which type is best? Where do you buy tanks? How do you safely store them? What about insurance? What about oxygen concentrators?!? Tune in and bring your questions. MAAA is a FREE weekly online metal arts live show. In this fun, interactive gathering we offer demos, share tips & tricks, feature work by artists and students from around the world, go on virtual studio tours, discuss historical metal arts traditions and share resources. You're invited to join in! Send in your questions and ideas for the next Metal Arts Adventure. Need help with a tricky soldering job? Wondering if a tip you saw really works? Submit a question or segment idea any time and we'll follow up. Send it in! Want to give us a tour of your studio? Care to recommend a tool or instructor? Get free feedback from professional metal arts instructors! Join the live Zoom show.  It took a lot of work on the part of our hand medal creators (and a few late nights for us making envelopes and sewing on ribbons) but we did it! Thank you so much to everyone who participated and shared extra pins and ribbons - we used every last bit and finished with 152! The medals will be presented soon and we’ll share any additional details as we get them. Of course Anne had to make a mokume gane one! The diversity of designs, details and ribbons made them all so fun and different! Congratulations to our Hand Medal Project winners too! Karen won the award for “Most Prolific” with 20 medals completed while Nancy won the prize for “Most Intricate” for her addition of a teeny tiny bracelet to all 11 hands she made. Since we started the project in the summer time, their prizes are tiki face masks - going out in the mail today. Thanks again to everyone who participated. Get involved with our next project: we’re making fold-formed copper leaves in November at our free online Sawing Circle. Click Read More to see photos.
 While we wait for that other result🗳, we can announce our #HandMedalProject winners! Karen won the award for “Most Prolific” with 20 medals completed 🏆 while Nancy won the prize for “Most Intricate” for her addition of a teeny tiny bracelet to all 11 hands she made🏅. Since we started the project in the summer time, their prizes are tiki face masks😷🦜🍹🗿- going out in the mail today. Thanks again to everyone who participated.
🍁🍂 Get involved with our next project: we’re making fold-formed copper leaves this month at our free online #SawingCircle. See our website for a free video demo and the date & time. 
Thursday, November 12th 5-7pm Pacific Time : Meet & Greet starts at 4:45pm
Mark your calendar for our next Sawing Circle on November 12th from 5-7pm Pacific Time. This month's shared project is fold-formed copper leaves! If you're new to leaf making, watch our free video demo by Anne Wolf and then join us from your studio to work in the good conversation and company of like-minded friends. Totally free, no need to RSVP, simply join by clicking the link that will be posted here on our home page. Tell a friend or make one there, either way we hope you'll join us right here on November 12th.  A handful of hearty souls joined me in our Debate Support Room while a larger group joined Anne in our Debate Escape Room. That's right, we hosted a Zoom session where folks had the choice to watch the debate while working or escape politics for a few blessed hours - all with like-minded friends and it was super fun. I think the verdict is in ... we're all officially over it with this election - LOL! But working together via Zoom has proven to be great fun so mark your calendar for our next Sawing Circle on November 12th from 5-6pm Pacific Time. Totally free, no need to RSVP, simply join by clicking the link that will be posted on our home page. Bring a friend or make one here!
 Thursday, October 22nd
6-8pm PST - Online via Zoom Were you planning to join our Sawing Circle but don't want to miss the debate? Watch it with us in our Debate Support Room! Are you unable to stomach seeing those people any longer? Join our Debate Escape Room. That's right, tomorrow we're hosting a Zoom session where you can watch the debate while you work OR escape politics for a few blessed hours - all with like-minded friends. Ame will be handling the tech and anyone can join in. Work on your medals or whatever you like, the goal is to enjoy the good company that comes with working together. No need to RSVP, simply join by clicking the button below. Meeting ID: 267 269 4245 | Passcode: #MetalArts. No need to RSVP, simply join in via Zoom on Thursday the 22nd between 6-8pm PST.  Because we're horribly behind (LOL!) we've extended the deadline for the Hand Medal Project. Be sure to mail or drop off your medals at Anne's Liberty Station Studio by 6pm on to Friday 10/23/20. We'll make sure they get submitted to our San Diego Hand Medal Project coordinator.
Whilst lurking about the Thames one dark and misty night, metalsmith & world traveler Claire Ramsey happened upon a mysterious vintage baby rattle (oooh CrEePY!!) which led her to ... the London Silver Vaults - the largest collection of antique silver in the world. Dated from 1882 the vaults were originally used to house the silver of London's wealthy elites. Join us, IF YOU DARE! Next we'll calm our frayed nerves with a demo by Anne on fold-forming fall leaves (ahhhh). But then it's BACK TO TERROR with SafETy LaST in which we'll take a playful look at home studio safety. Think it's too much trouble to put on your safety glasses? Think AGAIN! (It won't be gruesome, promise). As always, we finish up with an open discussion Q&A period so get your metal arts questions ready. Read on for photos and resource links.
 About 30 students and friends attended our 2nd Annual Shop & Swap at Liberty Station on Saturday, October 10th. Anne set up tables in a shady spot off the main colonnade and we all had fun dropping off goodies, perusing what others had brought and visiting in between. Wearing masks and social distancing was easy and didn't detract at all from the delight of sharing stories and catching up. Aside from that, we managed to re-home all of the lab leftovers we brought, thereby freeing up room in Anne's home studio for new projects. Likewise, everyone who came seemed to find something useful or fun to take home. We were particularly delighted to re-stock a student who lost her home studio building in the Valley Fire. Read on for photos!
 We had so much fun at our Sawing Circle tonight! Everyone arrived right on time and got to work with lots of sawing and filing and discussions of where to stamp the ID numbers (front? back? Around the ribbon?) and how to address the fingernails (to stamp or not to stamp) and even finer points of textures and ribbon wrangling. Like any good gathering of metalsmiths we also got into several tool and patina discussions ... which naturally led to excellent bakeries in San Diego and Santa Cruz. LOL! Great fun. Thanks to those of you who tuned it and if you missed it, we hope to see you at the next one. Happy Sawing!
Metal Arts Adventures #18: Arizona Copper Art Museum | Jewelry Photography Tips: Lighting | Q&A9/24/2020 
Join us for a visit to the Arizona Copper Art Museum with metalsmith Janet Ross as our guide. We'll take a tour through the history of copper work and gaze with wonder at some exceptional pieces. We are also delving deeper into jewelry photography with some pointers about how to use focus and lighting to highlight the work while avoiding glare and reflections. Whether you use a smart phone or a SLR, this will be a great show for asking questions. As always, we'll finish up with our usual open discussion Q&A period. Read more for links and resources shared in this episode.
 Because we're horribly behind (LOL!) we've extended the deadline for the Hand Medal Project. Be sure to mail or drop off your medals at Anne's Liberty Station Studio by 6pm on to Friday 10/23/20. We'll make sure they get submitted to our San Diego Hand Medal Project coordinator. If you need help me to do the ribbons and envelopes for you, get them to Anne's studio by 10/19 at the latest. Thank you! ~ Ame
Thursdays October on 8th and 22nd
6-8pm PST - Online via Zoom To help us hit our Hand Medals goal we’re holding TWO extra Sawing Circles in October. Anyone is free to join in. Work on your hand medals or anything you like, the goal is to enjoy the tips, conversation and good company that comes with working together. No need to RSVP, simply join by clicking the link on our Home page that day. See you there!  Join us every month on the 3rd Thursday
New time too 5-6pm PST - Online via Zoom We've been having a blast with our Metal Arts Adventures - so much so that we have been lettin' other stuff slide so starting in October, MAA will happen every 3rd Thursday. We are also rolling back the time to accommodate daylight savings and our friends across the country. As always, we love to hear your ideas about what to cover in the show. Want to give us a tour of your studio? Have a cool tool you want to recommend? Been to an interesting metal arts destination and want to tell us about it? Send it in!  Saturday 10/10/20 from Noon-4pm
Liberty Station in the grassy area outside Anne's studio We miss seeing all of your smiling faces and we've heard that you miss each other too. Come catch up with old friends and make some new ones at our socially distanced Shop & Swap + Picnic. We'll have generously-distanced tables set up and you're welcome to bring tools you no longer want, extra materials, arts & crafts things, books, and anything that would be cool in a jewelry/metal arts studio. We've recently helped three friends clean out their craft spaces of unused supplies so we've got a huge bag of brand new yarn, all sorts of tools, studio organizers, shelving and chairs, metal bits and bobs and more. Most is free, some items will have bargain basement price tags. Bring your items to swap or sell. Cash only, everyone handles their own stuff. We practice all COVID precautions so bring your mask and be ready to visit at a distance (we think of it more as 10 ft than 6 ft just to keep everyone safe). Feel free to bring snacks for yourself and a chair too. It's more about seeing each other than selling stuff - but you will almost certainly be heavily pressured to take at least one free thing with you when you leave so beware!
Join us on a fascinating visit to the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, England lead by our own Anne Wolf! We’ll see how production jewelry was manufactured in the hey day of Birmingham’s Jewelry Quarter. In the early 1900's the Quarter employed over 30,000 people who used fly presses, belt-driven polishers and blow-torches (why do Brits call torches ‘blow-torches?’- watch this and you’ll never forget!). Next we'll take a virtual visit to Sculpt Nouveau with Steel & Gold Artist Bette Barnett and she'll show us how to select and buy finishes, along with some tips for purchasing patinas on their tricky website. Read more for photos, links and resources.
 The Hand Medal Project was created by friends and artists Iris Eichenberg and Jimena Ríos in Spain. On HandMedalProject.com they explain "While we are all watching caregivers, nurses, and doctors giving all they can to our communities, risking their lives for us, we want to find a way to honor them. They should all get a medal, a votive offering given in gratitude or devotion. At some point this crisis will end and there will be a moment when we can thank them for all they do. We propose to present as many health workers as we can with a medal based on a traditional ex-voto, also to mark the moment when we can see a future."
 We're taking a week off to rejuvenate so we invite you to catch up on some of our favorite Metal Arts Adventures, hand-picked by Anne & Ame (and in no particular order). Each of these links takes you right to the short segment and we have a BIG FAVOR to ask of you when you get there. We are really, really trying to hit 101 subscribers and we need your help. For each video you see, please hit the Like button (thumbs up) and click Subscribe. When we hit 101 subscribers we can unlock new features that will help us do even more cool stuff.
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Anne WolfEducator, metalsmith, jeweler, maker of custom mokume gane jewelry and wedding rings.
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