What’s New

Shibuichi Comes to ML Jewelry Designs!

In my never-ending exploration of new materials and techniques, I’ve begun working with Shibuichi, a Japanese alloy of copper and sterling silver.

In my never-ending exploration of new materials and techniques, I’ve begun working with Shibuichi, a Japanese alloy of copper and sterling silver known for the interesting effects that can be accomplished by applying patinas.

Shibuichi Earrings
A new material, a new earring design. Shibuichi has come to ML Jewelry Designs!

This is my very first Shibuichi project, where I combined a variety of metalworking techniques — texturing, cutting, and doming — to produce domed disc shapes. Once the components were made, I used several metal finishing processes, including tumbling, scrubbing to prepare for the patina, and then applying several coats of a specialized patina, washing and judging the color for the desired effect between each application. Finally, I assembled each earring using sterling silver jump rings and hand-formed sterling ear wires.

What’s interesting about this material, as opposed to my sterling silver earrings, is that the texture pattern appears in a lighter color; normally, my processes for sterling silver make the pattern appear as the darker color.

Although it’s hard to see in this photo, the color of the copper included in this alloy does show through a bit, giving the earrings a somewhat golden hint of color.

You can find these earrings in my online shop or in my booth at Art Shows.

Hand made by jewelry artist Maria Langer in her Malaga WA studio.

2025 Studio Days Scheduled

I set up Open Studio days for visitors to tour my jewelry studio and watch me work.

Spiral Hoop Earrings
I made 11 pairs of fine silver spiral hoop earrings this past week.

I was on the road for much of 2023 and 2024, but I’m back now and hard at work in my studio, creating inventory to send out to the shops that sell my work and to bring to the shows I sell at in person. I’ve already listed some classes for specific projects, but I’ve also decided to open my shop for guests who just want to see how I make some of my jewelry or join me to make something of their own.

If you’re interested in learning more about how I make my jewelry, check the calendar for one of my Open Studio dates. Find one that works for you and contact me to make an appointment for a studio tour. (I cannot allow walk-ins; my studio is at my home and if I’m not expecting someone to join me, I might not be available. My calendar is subject to last-minute changes.)

Segmented Circle Pendant
I’ll be making various riffs on my segmented circle pendant design over the next few weeks.

If you’d like to learn jewelry making with me, I recommend that you browse through my online shop and find a jewelry item that you’d like to make. Then get in touch, and let me know what you’re interested in. I can give you an estimate of the time and materials cost and we can set up an appointment for a class, possibly on one of the upcoming Open Studio dates.

Keep in mind that if you’re already a jewelry maker and just need access to a shop with specialized tools you don’t have, my Open Studio time is when you can use my tools and equipment for an hourly fee. Contact me to learn more.

Euro Tool Flex Shaft
No jewelry studio is complete without a flex shaft. This Euro Tool 1/4 hp flex shaft retails for $119.95; I sell it for $90. (Pick up only; I cannot ship large tools.)

An Open Studio date is also a good time to purchase jewelry making supplies or tools that you can’t find elsewhere in our area. I work with real sterling and fine silver, as well as quality copper and gemstone cabochons — none of which is available locally. Contact me if you need to buy something for your jewelry making needs. Remember, I’m now a Euro Tools dealer and can get just about any of their products for you at a discount.

As always, if you have any questions, contact me. As my contact page explains, my phone does not ring for unknown callers, so me sure to leave a message if you call. Text is the best way to reach me; I respond quickest to text messages.

I’ve scheduled Open Studio days through March so far and will be adding more dates as the year progresses.

ML Jewelry Designs is Now a Euro Tool Dealer!

I can now sell Euro Tool tools and other products directly to jewelry class students and others.

EuroLogo Your Source for Website min.

ML Jewelry Designs is based in Malaga, in the Wenatchee, WA area. If you live anywhere near here, you know how hard it is to get quality tools and supplies for making jewelry. Although I get most of my materials (other than stones) from Rio Grande, I’m also a big fan of Euro Tool brand equipment. In fact, my flex shaft, which I bought at my first silversmithing class, is a Euro Tool. It was a great addition to my studio and its still going strong all these years later.

Although I will be stocking some commonly used tools and equipment to make them available to my students, I will not carry the entire catalog of products. There are literally hundreds of products available. But I can get Euro Tool products for you with convenient pickup at my studio, in Wenatchee, or in Leavenworth when I’m there for Village Art in the Park during select summer weekends. Contact me for more information.

You can learn more about Euro Tool products and see their entire catalog on their website: www.Eurotool.com.

New Class: Silversmithing 101

A two-day class that teaches silversmithing techniques in a professional jewelry studio.

I’m really pleased to announce a new class I’m offering at my Malaga studio that covers many of the silversmithing skills I use to make my jewelry. Open to just two students at a time, I’ll be offering it several times over the summer of 2025. You can check availability and sign up in my online shop. So far, I’m offering it in May, but if my calendar clears up a little, I may offer it in April first.

Here’s a full description:

Silversmithing 101

This two-day class covers all of the basic silversmithing skills you need to make custom jewelry from copper, silver, or gold. I’ll start by telling you what you need to know to work with metal, and then go right into exercises that teach and build skills. By the end of class, you should have a few handmade jewelry items to show off to friends and family members and enough know-how to make more on your own.

Over the course of two days, students will learn:

  • Cutting techniques with shears, wire cutters, and jeweler’s saw
  • Filing and sanding to smooth edges
  • Annealing metal to soften it
  • Texturing with texture hammers and rolling mill texture plates
  • Stamping with metal stamps
  • Shaping metal using mandrels and dapping blocks
  • Riveting and soldering to join metal pieces
  • Creating bezel settings for cabochons
  • Making findings such as jump rings, ear wires, and head pins
  • Polishing and applying patinas

Students will have access to the following tools:

  • Bench pin, bench block, pliers and other hand tools, mandrels
  • Hand shears, sheet metal shear, wire cutters, jeweler’s saws
  • Files, sandpaper and sanding sticks
  • Flex shaft with numerous tools for sanding and polishing
  • Rolling mill with texture plates
  • Stamps and hammers
  • Complete soldering station including torches, blocks, annealing pan, quenching bowl, and pickle pot
  • Tumblers with related supplies and equipment
  • Grinder with polishing wheels
  • And more!

Students can complete a number of jewelry making projects or create something on their own. Sample projects include:

  • Textured earrings
  • Stamped bracelet
  • Stack rings
  • Bezel-set pendant

Details

Class fee: $320 per person

Includes: Two days of hands-on training in my jewelry studio, copper sheet metal and wire for practice and finished pieces, incidental supplies and materials, use of tools and equipment. Bottled water, pop, and a light lunch (sandwiches and salad) will be provided at break time. (There is no place to get lunch nearby, but you are welcome to bring your own.) Sterling silver and cabochons to set into a pendant or ring are available at an additional cost.

Class timing: Saturday and Sunday, 9 AM to 5 PM with 1 hour for lunch and two shorter breaks in the morning and afternoon.

Maximum Class Size: 2 people

Minimum age: 16 and older; attendees under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Cancellation Policy: Once booked, you may cancel the class up to 7 days before the class start date. There is a $10 cancellation fee to cover the cost of refunding your payment; my credit card processor, Square, will not refund the credit card fees I pay. I cannot refund class fees if you cancel within 7 days of the class start date, so if you need to back out last minute, I highly recommend that you find someone to take your place. If I have to cancel the class for any reason, the full amount of your class fees will be refunded.

February Jewelry Making Classes Scheduled

New classes in February at my Malaga, WA jewelry studio.

Now that I’m mostly done traveling and I’m spending a lot more time in my jewelry studio, I’ve decided to open up the studio for small groups of up to 4 students to teach various jewelry making projects. Each two-hour class will either complete one specific project, such as a copper cuff bracelet or sterling silver earrings, or teach general silversmithing skills. Most classes are suitable for ages 15 and older. Everything will be provided, including materials, use of tools, and a suitable workspace.

Split Bar Dangle with Bead
These are the Split bar dangle earrings I can teach you to make in class.

So far, I have five classes scheduled for February 2024:

Saturday, February 8, 2025:
12 pm to 2 pm – Patterned copper cuff bracelets
2 pm to 4 pm – Air chased copper cuff bracelets

Sunday, February 9, 2025:
12 pm to 2 pm – Spiral hoop earrings
2 pm to 4 pm – Split bar dangle earrings

Saturday, February 22, 2025:
12 pm to 2 pm – Findings: Jump rings, head pins, and ear wires

To learn more about each class and reserve your spot, visit the Classes page in my online shop.

And keep in mind that all of these items are also available to buy — made by me! — in my online shop.

November & December 2024 Jewelry Making Classes

Four classes at Gallery One in Ellensburg will help you make holiday gifts recipients will treasure.

I’ll be teaching four jewelry making classes at Gallery One in Ellensburg in November and December 2024. Here’s a quick summary of what’s coming up. If you’re interested in any of these classes, sign up now.

Split Bar Silver Dangle Earrings

Split Bar Dangle Earrings
An incredibly popular earring style at art shows, I have a large selection of beads and stamps so you can personalize your pair.

Wenatchee based artist, Maria Langer, introduces you to her most popular earring style! In this class you’ll learn everything from making jump rings, punching holes and stamping patterns, to assembly. No experience required.

Skills you’ll learn:
– Measuring and cutting silver strip and wire
– Filing silver strip to round and smooth corners
– Stamping designs onto silver strip
– Punching holes into silver strip
– Creating jump rings (instructor demo) and using pre-made jump rings
– Connecting earring pieces
– Attaching beads to earring pieces
– Making ball-end head pins (demo) and using headpins to make ear wires
– Connecting earrings to handmade or pre-made ear wires

$53/person. Offered November 16, 2024.

Beaded Chain Bracelet

Beaded Chain Bracelet
You can make a beaded chain bracelet like this with your choice of at least a dozen different beads. (There is an additional $10 charge payable in class for turquoise beads.)

Join Wenatchee based artist, Maria Langer in making beaded chain bracelets. These virtually unbreakable bracelets don’t use open jump rings to connect links. Instead, they use a double loop wrap technique that ensures all links are connected permanently to each other and a lobster clasp. These can be made in silver or copper. A wide range of gemstone beads will be available to choose from. No experience necessary.

Skills you’ll learn:
– Measuring and cutting silver or copper wire
– Creating beaded bracelet links with the double loop wrap technique
– Connecting each link you make to the one before it as you make it
– Connecting a manufactured lobster clasp

$53/person. Offered November 16, 2024.

Spiral Hoop Earrings

Spiral Hoop Earrings
This is the first style of earrings I ever made. It looks great in silver or copper.

Handmade jewelry makes a great gift and these spiral formed, texture-hammered silver or copper wire hoops are sure to be a hit! In this class, Wenatchee based artist, Maria Langer will teach you shaping, hammering, making ear wires and assembly. No experience required.

Skills you’ll learn:
– Measuring and cutting silver or copper wire
– Filing silver to smooth ends
– Shaping wire into a spiral shape with two loops using mandrels and tools
– Hammering a texture onto the shaped wires
– Securing the hoop shape with another wire
– Making ball-end head pins (demo) and using headpins to make ear wires
– Connecting earrings to handmade or pre-made ear wires

$53/person. Offered December 14, 2024.

Wire Framed Pendant

Wire Framed Pendant
What better way to show off the beauty of a cabochon than to frame it in shiny silver or copper wire? I’ll have many stones on hand to choose from.

Are you looking for a challenge? This workshop takes wire wrapping to a new level, framing a gemstone cabochon in sterling silver or copper wire as wearable art. Wenatchee based artist, Maria Langer, will guide you in designing and building the frame, bail, and flourishes for your chosen cabachon. No experience necessary.

Skills you’ll learn:
– Developing a strategy for securing the stone
– Measuring and cutting silver or copper wire
– Joining wires to make the stone frame
– Setting the stone
– Securing the stone in place
– Creating the bail
– Creatively securing the wire ends.

$63/person. Offered December 14, 2024.

More Info

Ages 16 and up are welcome. Please register at least 72 hours in advance. Classes may be canceled if enrollment minimums are not met. Cost is per student.

Gallery One is located in downtown Ellensburg, in the middle of the state of Washington, just off I-90.

408 North Pearl Street
Ellensburg WA 98926
509-925-2670

April Shop Days Scheduled

I’ll be around for about two weeks in April and will be available for one-on-one classes in my jewelry shop.

Split Bar Dangle with Bead
Sterling Silver Split Bar Dangle earrings with malachite bead.

Some folks might know that I’ve been on the road for much of 2024, but I’m returning home and to my jewelry shop in mid April for about two weeks. Although I’ll be busy building inventory to send out to the shops that sell my work when I can’t do shows, I will have time to do hands-on, project based training for one or two people at a time most days I’m back.

My classes are held in my Malaga, WA studio, which is fully equipped to make all the jewelry I sell in person, in shops, and online. You can see a studio tour video on YouTube. Depending on your existing skill levels, I can teach you how to make just about any of the jewelry I make. I charge by the hour in 1/4 hour increments with a 2-hour minimum. This includes instruction and use of all tools needed for the project. Materials fees, which vary based on the project, also apply. Right now, I’m set up to teach a maximum of 2 people at a time.

If you’d like to explore silversmithing or other jewelry making with me, I recommend that you browse through my online shop and find a jewelry item that you’d like to make. Then get in touch, and let me know what you’re interested in. I can give you an estimate of the time and materials cost and we can set up an appointment for a class.

Gearing Up for Two Leavenworth Art in the Park Shows

I become a jewelry-making machine in preparation for two back-to-back appearances at Leavenworth Village Art In the Park.

Although I haven’t updated this site in a few days, don’t think I haven’t been busy. I’ve been in my studio every day, making new inventory for my upcoming appearances at Leavenworth Village Art in the Park. This is a great little art show every weekend in downtown Leavenworth, WA. I generally appear on select weekends before and after peak summer months.

Two Pendants
These pendants are so new, I haven’t even properly photographed them for my online shop. They are Tibetan Turquoise and Lapis Lazuli, both on sterling silver. I have a wonderful lapis and silver beaded necklace to go with the blue one.

Although my earring and bracelet inventory is pretty healthy, I was in dire need of making new pendants and beaded necklaces. I’ve glad to say that I’ve gone from just 6 pendants in inventory to 54, including the two I just finished last night that haven’t even made it to my online shop yet. In between, I managed to make 6 or 7 new beaded necklaces and stock up on two of my more time-consuming earrings. Although I’ve been adding these new items to my Online Shop every morning, I haven’t had time to add them to this site.

If you like my jewelry and live in Washington State, why not make a day trip to Leavenworth to see my work in person? If you’ve never been to Leavenworth, it’s a fun little town with a Bavarian theme, nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. In addition to lots of shopping and dining opportunities, there are endless trails up along Icicle Creek to get you out into the cool woods and mountains.

If you can’t make it to Leavenworth and you like my jewelry, I highly recommend you visit my Online Shop and buy whatever it is that tickles your fancy. I sell the same inventory at my shows and once something is sold, it’s gone for good. Don’t miss out. I’ll be fulfilling orders on Friday and Monday with first class shipping to US destinations.

I’ll be there with about 15 other artists on Thursday to Saturday (and possibly Sunday) of this weekend and Thursday through Monday on Labor Day weekend. Consult my online Calendar of Events for details of all my upcoming shows and classes.

More New Pendants and Beaded Necklaces

I add a variety of new items to my online shop and in preparation for two back-to-back art shows in Leavenworth, WA.

I was busy in my shop for most of last week, continuing to make inventory for upcoming shows as summer winds to a close.

I started the week by making six beaded necklaces to match pendants I’d already made. You can find all of these in the Necklaces section of my online shop; I’ll be displaying them with the pendants I made them for at upcoming shows, even though they can be purchased separately.

Bumble Bee Jasper Necklace Howlite Necklace

Kingman Turquoise Necklace Onyx Necklace

Picture Jasper Necklace Ruby Zoisite Garnet Necklace
New necklaces in my shop. Left to right, top to bottom: Bumble Bee Jasper and sterling silver, Howlite and sterling silver, Kingman Turquoise with sterling silver and copper, black Onyx with sterling silver and copper, Picture Jasper with sterling silver, and Ruby in Zoisite and red Garnet with sterling silver.

Then I got down to it and made a few more pendants.

Kt Square w Cuts and Neck
Kingman Turquoise, orange spiny oyster shell, and bronze cabochon bezel set on sterling silver.

I had this nearly square Kingman Turquoise with Spiny Oyster Shell and bronze cabochon that was really calling out to me. I bezel-set it on a nearly square sterling silver backplate, which I accented with hand cut lines and stamped sterling silver balls. I used a tube bail; the photo here shows the pendant with the Kingman Turquoise beaded necklace shown above, which is sold separately.

Malachite Pendant
Malachite cabochon bezel set in sterling silver.

Because I was completely out of stock on pendants with another popular stone — malachite — I chose a small round cabochon and set that with a completely new style, using square wire wrapped around the bezel to form part of the bail. I’m not sure how much I like this design, but the stone is certainly pretty. I’ll be making a malachite necklace to go with this this weekend.

Silver Cross
Sterling silver cross with Kingman Turquoise accent stone.

And finally, since I was so happy with the way the prototype copper cross I made last week came out, I made one in silver using the same techniques but upgrading the bail. I really like the rough, handmade look of these pieces.

All of these pendants are available in the Pendants area of my online shop and will be at my upcoming shows — until sold.

Keep checking in for more items as I make them. I can’t update this site daily, but I hope to be able to keep doing it at least once a week as I add inventory, show dates, and classes.

New Pendants and a Prototype of a Christian Cross Design Now in My Shop

I add four new pendants to the shop, including some fresh new designs.

I spent most of the week working on projects in my garage, but I did get to spend a few days in my jewelry studio making new pendants for upcoming shows and my online shop.

Ruby In Zoisite
Ruby in Zoisite cabochons on hand stamped and pierced sterling silver. Buy it online.

The first is a variation on a design I’d done in the past for a triangular stone. In this case, I’ve got two Ruby in Zoisite (or ruby-zoisite) stones bezel set into a pierced and stamped sterling silver back plate. I do all the cuts and stamping (and related filing and sanding) by hand, so there’s a lot of work in this one. It came out great (in my opinion) and although it comes with a sterling silver chain (like most of my pendants), I plan on making a beaded necklace for it that combines ruby in zoisite, garnet, and sterling silver. Look for it soon.

Ribbon Variscite
Ribbon Variscite on sterling silver. Buy it online.

Next up is the first of two “ribbon” stones. The first is ribbon variscite, a relatively rare and costly stone that I picked up two years ago at the Tucson gem and mineral show. The variscite appears in a vein like a ribbon it its matrix. I did a simple back plate design for this one that has evenly spaced cuts around the bezel setting.

Bio Chrysoprase
Bio Chrysoprase on sterling silver. Buy it online.

The other ribbon stone is bio chrysoprase, a rare form of quartz with a great green color in a line through the stone’s matrix. It’s an almond shaped stone and I used a design similar to one I’ve done before, framing the stone in a hand-textured sterling silver structure and setting it with prongs. This design is a lot of work — there are 10 individual solders! — but I think it’s so worth it.

Copper Cross
Copper cross with Kingman turquoise cabochon. Buy it online.

And finally, something completely different for me — by request: a Christian cross. I’ve been thinking about how I wanted to make this piece and decided to try a prototype in copper before I dive into silver. The design requires thick sheet metal — 18 gauge — which, in silver, can be quite costly. So I experimented with copper to get the right shape, stamping design, and cabochon positioning. I think it came out nice and I will be making more of these in sterling silver over the weeks to come. Until then, if you like copper, you can get this one at a very reasonable price.

I’ll be at Leavenworth art in the park for two consecutive weekends starting on August 24, so if these pieces don’t sell from my online shop, you can find them there — along with any other new pieces I create over the next 10 days.