About Our Classes
About teachers
Techniques taught
In-person or online classes
Choose the classes you want. Make your own schedule
Home friendly tools
Close up views of demonstrations
Live classes are recorded. Watch again later
Kit of materials and use of tools included.
Location and free parking.
Student Discounts
Class policies
We want to share our passion for jewelry with our students, teach them traditional and modern techniques through great classes, and show them how they can continue to make jewelry at home. We do that by offering accessible classes for all levels, patient professional teachers, flexible scheduling, home friendly tools so you can continue to practice after class, and in person or online classes.
Take a video tour of our school
Patient teachers to help you learn and improve.
Classes at Silvera Jewelry School are taught by a faculty of professional jewelry teachers and visiting master jewelers from all over the world. We pick our teachers for their patience and love for the craft, and their ability to teach, inspire and help students to improve. Our school offers friendly and patient instruction, and classes filled to the brim and beyond with good information.
It has been a great joy for us as teachers to see so many of our students go on to embrace jewelry, whether they start their own jewelry businesses, find happiness in their studios making jewelry for themselves or loved ones, or pursue careers in the trade.
Classes in traditional and modern techniques for all levels.
Classes range from beginning to advanced. No matter your skill level, from complete beginner to advanced, there is a wide variety of offerings, including casting, jewelry fabrication, enameling, metal clay, and stone setting. We also offer classes to help students start their own business.
Online or In Person Workshops
Join us for online interactive jewelry classes with your favorite instructors! These are the same classes as we teach in person, streamed live to you. Our students tell us that they feel like they’re right there in the classroom with us.
Why choose an online class?
- Attend jewelry workshops in the comfort of your home. No travel. No commute.
- Same class. Same instructor. You can show your work and get help in real time..
- Your own space and tools. Online students can practice during, after and between classes.
- Online classes use home friendly tools and equipment, like butane cooking torches, safe studio chemicals, etc. Why kill yourself with toxins when you can enjoy a long life making jewelry?
- You can set up in a room, a garage, even just in a corner or at the kitchen table. We have free videos that show you how.
- Each class is recorded. Recordings are sent the day after class so you can review and watch it again. If a class combines online and in person students, everyone gets a copy of the recordings. If you miss a class, you can watch it later and come to office hours for help.
- We use Zoom for online classes. It’s free and compatible with Mac or PC, computers, laptops, smartphones and tablets.
- Same class. Same instructor. You can show your work and get help in real time..
Most classes include a kit of materials that is mailed to you. Additional tools are required and are listed in the description page for each class. When you sign up, you will receive a PDF of your supplies list with suggested suppliers. Our students get discounts on tools at our online tool shop, OttoFrei.com, RioGrande.com and more.
Students love our online classes! They often comment on how relaxed they feel in their own space. The information is clear, they get great views of the demonstrations, and they have everything they need to continue working between classes. And you can't beat the commute!
Choose the classes you want. Make your own schedule.
Our classes are offered as individual workshops. Courses are offered as 1 day, multiple days, 1 weekend, or weekly. That means you can pick and choose classes that you’re interested in and customize your courses to suit your schedule, without having to commit to months of coursework. Check out our How to Get Started section for more details.
Looking for more of a quarter or semester program? You can immerse yourself in jewelry classes for a few months by signing up for one of our series, like jewelry fabrication (6 classes) or casting (5 classes). These courses are offered weekly and consecutively. You can sign up, for example, for Jewelry 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Each class follows the next in the same time slot on the same day of the week. This is a great way to focus and build your skills!
If you’d like to sign up for all of the classes in a series, contact us to discuss a discounted price for registering for multiple classes.
Home friendly tools so you can
continue to make jewelry after class.
Why take a jewelry class if you can only work when you’re at school? We want students to not only take home their new skills, but also tools so they can continue to practice. We emphasize good craftsmanship, safe technique, and home studio friendly equipment and chemicals. Beginners start with butane kitchen torches, which are easy to use at home. Our teachers know a lot about this subject. In 2010 Joe Silvera, one of the founders of the school, published one of the first books on making jewelry at home: Soldering Made Simple: Easy Techniques for Kitchen Table Jewelers.
Close up views of demonstrations on screen.
Whether at school watching magnified views from the teacher’s bench on a big screen tv, or streaming classes in your studio, students can see close up details of the demonstrations in high resolution! Not worrying about being able to see the demo allows for better understanding.
Live classes are recorded. Watch again later.
Most of our classes are recorded. A link to the recording is sent the day after the live class. You can watch it again later, or if you miss a class, use the recording to catch up.
Kit of Materials and use of tools included.
In person and online students receive a kit of materials to make the class projects. When you take an in person class at our school, use of tools is included and each student is assigned a bench full of them to use, including their own soldering setup, flex shaft, and good quality tools like a saw, files, etc. So you don’t have to bring heavy bags of tools to school - you can just come and take classes!
Online students receive 2 emails after registration: a receipt and another with class information, including a supplies list for required tools. This is a detailed list of what you need to have for the class complete with links. If you don’t receive these emails, please contact us to confirm your sign up. Online student use our free videos and helpful tool lists with links to suppliers to buy tools and set up to work at home.
Online classes often include a kit of materials for the practice projects, which is mailed to them before class.
Small classes.
Class size is limited, so teachers have time to help everyone. In person classes have a maximum of 9 students. Online classes have a maximum of 15 students.
Location and Free Parking
Silvera Jewelry School is located at 1105 Virginia Street is located in world famous Berkeley, California, home of good food and art with a history of protests, individuality, and progressive politics. People in Berkeley are known for being open and welcoming, and our students from out of the area often enjoy exploring our neighborhood. We are located in the less crowded West Berkeley area, near hotels, AirBnB rentals, shops and restaurants.
Student Discounts
Students receive discount codes when they register for jewelry suppliers, like Silvera Jewelry School, Otto Frei, Rio Grande and Art Clay World.
Class Policies
And now the fine print. Payment in full for class fees is due at the time of registration to reserve your place. We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and PayPal. Checks and cash are accepted only if you register at school. If you mail a check, your registration is not processed until it clears and the class may fill during the wait.
If the workshop is canceled by our school for any reason, all class fees will be refunded, or you can transfer to another class, or you can keep a credit on account with us for future classes or purchases,
Students can cancel, receive a credit or refund, or transfer to another class up to 21 days before a workshop, whether it is online or in person. No cancellations are accepted after the 21-day deadline, however, we will do what we can to try and sell your place to a qualified student. If we can sell your place, you can receive a refund less a $50 cancellation fee, keep a credit on account with us, or apply your fees towards a transfer to another class.
If you can’t make it to class, you may send a participant who has the necessary prerequisites in your place. Please call or email us immediately with any changes in the student participant information. If a class includes an online section, your class will be recorded and you can watch later to make up a class you miss.
Students must be at least 15 years old to attend a class, and students under 18 must have a legal guardian sign our liability waiver form. We have had younger students attend classes, on a case by case basis. If you’re interested in enrolling your child, please call or email us.
If you sign up for a class and fail to have the required prerequisites as listed in the class description, you are still subject to the 21-day cancellation policy, listed above.
Lodging and meals are not included for in person classes.
If you don't come to class, there are no refunds, credits or transfers.