Personal Jewelry Retreat: Opals Queen of Gems with Holly and Chris Gage

Rough Opal Slab for Cabbing approx. 
2 1/8” x  3”     $35 - $105

Fire-in-Place Opals and Opal Shards            
$2.50  – $45 each

Metal Clay Kit (depends on class selection)         
$85 – $130                        

This 1-day workshop will satisfy the Opal lover in you!
Opal cutting is fun and therapeutic as you cut and shape your opal until a smooth mirror finish. You’ll start with your choice of rough opal material and select from a variety of template shapes. Using a title saw you will cut the rough shape of the cabochon, then using the 6 wheel professional lapidary machine you will shape, polish, and work your way through the various wheels until you have a beautiful stone you are proud to have and to hold. Time allotment, and size will determine how many stones you will be able to finish, approximately 3 – 5 per rough slab.

 

Radiant Opal Pendant
Bold design and delicate textures surround beautiful Fire in Place Cultured Opals with a combination of surprising techniques. You’ll create intricate open spaces and surface textures with your rotary tool and a variety of diamond burs in the greenware stage of your Silver Metal Clay. Yeah, your rotary tool! And it’s easy on your hands!

Then you’ll capture the allure of  Heat-Resistant Cultured Opals having all the radiance and iridescence you love in a good quality Opal, but unlike Nature Opals, these can be fired at 1650º F or 900º C without burning up from the extreme heat needed to sinter the Metal Clay. After being told a long firing isn’t probably, I went on a quest to figure out how to fire them in place in Metal Clay. After many tests and lots of trial and error, I figured out the secret of firing long and hot for strength without cracking the stones, discoloration, or hazing. I’m really excited about the possibilities, but more than that I can’t wait to teach you.
 

Bezel Setting Like a Pro
A fantastic stone needs a fantastic setting and in this workshop, that’s exactly what you’ll learn to make. The key to a professionally set stone is good craftsmanship and a clean, and well-finished bezel. This 2-part firing method of working with bezel setting and Metal Clay is clean and forgiving, so no soldering, no investment placeholder, no pull away from embedding the wire, no distortion, and the stone fits every time! During the class, you will learn design concepts surrounding the creation of a bezel for a stone of your choice using fine silver bezel wire. The bezel will be attached to a piece that has been designed and fired first. Afterward, you will attach the bezel to the rest of your piece and prepare for a second firing. Finally, the stone will be set and ready for the final touch. The result will have people wondering, “How did you do that?” So come and join me, and you too will be setting stones like a pro.

You will use the Opal cab you cut with Chris during your lapidary lesson.

“Evolved Design Exploration” will also be covered. It’s a guided method of finding your motivation and pushing yourself to new levels of awareness and evolving your design to the next creative level. Your perceptions are sharpened and your imagination can develop beyond what was previously available by going deeper within.

Romancing the Stone: Reverse Stone
SettingDelicate gems need special treatment and an extra-special setting. Many beautiful stones can not be fired in place, so when you wish to overlap the stone with details you add an additional challenge to the design of your piece. My solution is to set the gem from the back. It may sound as if you have to design the whole piece backward, but this is not the case. Not only that, but you can even make a reversible pendant if you so desire and it is much easier than you might imagine! We will discuss a successful design to enhance the stone, bezel setting, tube bails, tube set gems, flush set gems, buds, snake charming, finishing techniques, and more. This is like my Bezel Setting Like a Pro Class on steroids! You will use the Opal cab you cut with Chris during your lapidary lesson.

Dimensional Mandalas with Opals Using Simple Scratch Foam Techniques
In this lesson, you will have the opportunity to unleash your creativity and express yourself in a meaningful way. We will begin by exploring Mandalas and creating our own by hand, focusing on freely expressing our emotions. After that, we will deconstruct our drawings to add depth and transfer the design onto Scratch Foam to capture the lines in low relief. Scratch Foam has its own unique look and feel, giving our creations a distinct signature. As we cut, shape, and dry the Metal Clay parts, we will assemble them in layers to give the Mandala a sense of depth. Throughout the process, you will learn various techniques for creating textures in Scratch Foam, assembling, setting Fire in Place Cultured Opals, and best practices for working with them. Opals symbolize hope, purity, and truth, making them the perfect fit for this project. We will start with the basics, explore creative boundaries, and explore advanced skills anyone can learn.

Special Request
Is there another workshop you'd like to take not listed here. You may choose from the Workshops that are available on the "Master Worshops" page. Look in the description for sessions that are 2-days in length at https://www.hollygage.com/classes

Registration Policy:
Reservations are on a first come, first served basis. All bookings require a 50% deposit, balance is due 60 days prior to your arrival date.
Payment package available, please inquire. Deposits can be made by secured pay pal account, wire, or express mail by check. In order to hold a reservation we must receive the deposit within ten days of the booking.

Cancellation and refund policy:
Reservations can be canceled up to 45 days before check-in. This means you will receive a full refund or you can reschedule your retreat for another time, subject to availability.

Reservations canceled 7 days or less will be subject to a full refund, minus $250 per person for food, and preparations, etc.

For 100% refund, you may sell your seat to another student with all transfer of funds remaining between you and the participant. Gage Design Studio will not be responsible for re-filling any reservation previously made. Please notify your host about the change.

Extenuating Circumstances
In instances such as death of an immediate relative, natural disaster, Covid or other illness, you may reschedule your retreat for another time. Valid proof will be required to provide supporting documentation for your circumstance.
Reservations canceled 7 days or less will we subject to a full refund, minus $250 per person for food, and preparations, etc.

Please don’t come if you have a temperature, you are sick, or you have been exposed to someone who is ill without testing negative of the illness. Chris and Holly are both immune compromised.
Should the retreat be canceled by Gage Design Studio, the entire amount paid will be refunded within fourteen days (14) after the retreat’s cancellation. Once this occurs, we have no obligations regarding any additional costs or fees related to the issuance and/or cancellation of airline tickets or other travel reservations. We accept no liability for any airline cancellation penalty incurred by the purchase of a non-refundable ticket. Nor do we accept liability for canceled flights. Please consider purchasing insurance for your travel as you never know what life surprises come about.