Classes & Workshops

Upcoming Classes

  • Silver jewelry set including two face-shaped pendants with detailed facial features and head adornments, a large circular floral-design pendant, and a long chain necklace with twist clasp, arranged on a white surface.

    Lost Wax Casting April 28

    Try out Lost Wax Casting in this 2.5 hour class hosted by Laurel Street Arts in San Carlos.

    Tuesday April 28, 6:00-8:30pm.

    Tool and materials are all included, and no prior experience is needed. We will use wax to create models of jewelry or small objects, which will be duplicated in metal.

    *Participants are responsible for the cost of their metal. Silver is currently $70/oz. Bronze and brass are very affordable options, as is Shibuishi, a Japanese 1:3 silver/copper alloy.

    Ages 14+

    Register Here

Student Work

Student Work

A silver ring with a stylized human figure inside an oval, resting on three gray stones.
A silver ring with a large teardrop-shaped black and blue gemstone on a workbench, with a cluttered workshop background.
Bronze sculpture of mushrooms with intertwined stems on a white background.
People sitting at a large wooden table engaging in egg decorating, wearing face masks, in a bright shop filled with plants and decorative items.
Hoop earrings with pearls and gemstones hanging on pink flowers.
A collection of five pairs of earrings and a decorative glass orb on a light-colored surface.
Lost Wax Casting Class
Person using a torch to work on a heated piece of metal in a jewelry or metalworking studio.
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Children and adults gathered around a table making jewelry with beads in an indoor community space.
Hand holding a beaded necklace with green and gold beads and haunted house charms.
Assorted glittery resin charms in various shapes and colors on a white surface.
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Purple beaded flower-shaped brooch with a gold-colored center on a wooden table, surrounded by rolls of green and pink tape and other craft supplies.
Handmade earrings on a wooden table, featuring metal shapes and colorful beads. Jewelry-making tools and an organizer in the background.
Silver butterfly, scorpion, and crab figurines on dark gray stones against a white background.
Close-up of a cactus with textured silver rings on top, featuring star patterns, and a wooden fence in the background.
Metal sculpture of a winged horse, or Pegasus, placed among various cacti in a garden with wooden fencing.
Copper pendants with engraved floral designs and a black cord necklace on a wooden surface.
Gold-toned floral jewelry set with a large floral brooch on a gray stone and a matching bracelet with floral and leaf designs.
A hand holding a colorful beaded bracelet with pink, yellow, and clear beads shaped into flowers on a wooden table.
People sitting at tables in an art classroom, working on projects with art supplies. Artworks are displayed on the wall, including paintings with colorful abstract and figurative styles.
Gold ring with a design resembling a blooming flower, placed on top of two gray stones.
Children crafting jewelry and decorating resin pieces at a table with various craft supplies, including glitter, silicone molds, and small containers of decorative items.
Decorative piece combining a human face in profile with metallic flowers and leaves, with smooth gray stones in the background.
A glass keychain filled with colorful fruit-shaped charms and yellow glitter, resting on a wooden surface.
A metallic sculpture of a clustered collection of seashells and starfish resting on a rounded stone.
Display of colorful handmade earrings, including Halloween-themed pumpkin faces, tassel designs, and snowmen, on brown cardboard backing. Tools like pliers are visible on the table.
Silver chain with large circular links resting on a wooden surface, with a black textured background.
Hand holding a decorative glass butterfly and a glass heart with colorful fruit and flower patterns.
Three pairs of colorful beaded hoop earrings with different charms and a beaded bracelet with star and shell charms, all arranged on a light-colored surface.
Close-up of a person's forearm with three bracelets, resting on a table with a blue and white patterned tablecloth. The person is wearing a dark hoodie with colorful stripes and a black waist pack.
Three women working on jewelry craft projects at a table with beads, charms, and tools in a workshop.

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Class Descriptions

A collage showcasing "Lost Wax Casting" and "Wax Model Making" by Salayi Designs Jewelry. Includes abstract metal jewelry pieces, a person wearing a necklace, wax sculpture heads, and a logo featuring floral and celestial designs.

If you want to try out Lost Wax Casting, this is the workshop for you! In this 3 hour workshop, we will use wax to create pieces of jewelry using lost-wax casting. The finished wax model is encased in plaster and then melted away, leaving an empty space where the wax model was. Molten metal is poured into that space, creating an exact metal replica of the original wax model.

I will give a demo on how to use heat and sculpting tools to create a wax model before participants are set loose to create their pieces. I’ll be giving guidance along the way and answer questions to get each participant to their finished model.

Wax models will be weighed at the end of the workshop to estimate their finished weight, and can be cast in sterling silver or bronze. Casting will take 10-14 days.

$125 per person. Participants must also pay for the additional cost of their metal. Bronze and sterling silver are both available options. Most pieces will be less than $25. Bronze is also an available, economical option.

12 spots available per workshop. Adults and older teens.

Please be aware that the tools used are hot, and hot wax can burn.

A collection of resin keychains and decorative pieces in various shapes, including hearts and circles, with glitter and embedded colorful elements.
A table with art and craft supplies, including glitter, silicone molds, nail art decorations, and a young girl working on a craft project.

  • Use silicon molds to pour resin into, create a variety of shapes for jewelry.

  • Mix in colors, mica powders, glitter, miniature objects and dried flowers.

  • Cure the resin under a UV light, and incorporate metal findings to create finished pieces of jewelry.

  • Make earrings, pendants, bracelets, key chains and more.

Assorted colorful resin jewelry pieces including flower-shaped pendants and various other ornaments with glitter, gold beads, and decorative elements displayed on a white surface.
Group of people gathered around a table participating in a crafting or art workshop inside a store, with shelves of supplies and a large window letting in natural light.

UV Resin Jewelry

  • Suitable for ages 8+

    2 hr worksop; $60/person

Handmade earrings on a wooden table with blue and gold beads, metal components, and jewelry-making tools nearby.

Jewelry Making

2hr workshop: $60 per person

  • Make your own jewelry! Enjoy a full range of beads, jewelry components, charms, tools and materials. Natalie will be offering guidance and instruction over this two hour event.

  • Whether you are brand new to jewelry making or a seasoned crafter, there will be plenty of fun and color to enjoy.

  • Enjoy a curated collection of beads featuring natural materials, glass, metal, stone and vintage options.

  • Those with metal sensitivities and allergies, please be cautious.

  • Make as much as you like during the event hours.

Want it to be fancier? Upgrade your two hour workshop to

Premium Materials: $95 per person

Solid sterling silver and gold-filled findings, along with semi-precious gemstone beads in addition to the regular offerings detailed above.

French Beaded Flowers

Close-up of yellow sunflower with bead and wire jewelry pieces in front of the flower.
A group of women gathered around a large wooden table, working on jewelry or craft projects with various tools, beads, and supplies. The setting appears to be a cozy, well-decorated shop or cafe with shelves of pottery and decorative items in the background.

French Beaded Flowers are created with just wire and seed beads. We’ll use bead spinners, along with wire, pliers and clippers to create a bouquet of flowers and foliage.

$50 per person. Adults and older teens.

We will start this workshop making a few flowers together to learn the basic techniques. Participants can either make the suggested flowers and leaves, or create their own designs.

A person holding a colorful beaded butterfly ornament with pink, orange, yellow, and black beads. The person is wearing a gold bracelet and has a maroon purse and a wooden table nearby.
Close-up of colorful oval metal pendant necklace with yellow, black, and rust-colored patterns on a silver chain.

Enameling on Metal

  • Teens and Adults

    2.5 hr worksop; $85/person

Learn the basics of traditional vitreous enameling. Sift, paint and stencil powdered glass onto copper and fire it into a glassy, colorful surface in a kiln.

Create earrings, pendants, key chains and trinket bowls.

Stacked jars of colorful metal jewelry enamel powders, in shades of pink, purple, blue, green, yellow, black, gray, and orange.
A drawer containing organized tools and materials for metalworking and crafting. There are metal hammers with yellow and black handles, metal stamping sets, copper discs, and other jewelry-making supplies including trays with small charms and beads. Also visible are metal containers and a cylindrical copper object.
Copper heart-shaped charms with skull and star engravings, alongside other decorative metal pieces and beads.

  • After a brief introduction and demonstration on the tools and materials, participants will have a chance to practice stamping on test metal scraps before jumping into designing their own project.

  • A variety of copper and aluminum blanks will be available. Key chain tags, plant signs, bracelets, earrings and pendants will all be available.

  • This class pairs well with Jewelry 101, offering the chance to learn basic jewelry making skills and transform their stamped pieces into finished jewelry.

Stamping on Metal

  • Stamping on Metal includes copper and aluminum blanks to pattern and texture with a variety of steel stamps and hammers.

  • Make earrings, pendants, tags, bracelets and more.

  • Suitable for ages 8+

    2 hr worksop; $60/person

Jewelry production consultation services ad; includes casting, mold making, gemstone sourcing, polishing, patina, plating; initial consultation fee is $75.

Jewelry Production Consultation

Brands seeking to develop a jewelry line will benefit from direct connections to jewelry industry professionals, as well as Natalie’s years of expertise making jewelry.

Digital design and 3D printing has opened accessibility to the jewelry world, but moving a prototype into a piece of production jewelry can be daunting. Navigating casting services requires thorough understand of how the process works, gemstone dealers can be somewhat elusive, and stone setters speak an entirely other language.

Salayi Designs has been connected with the jewelry industry for over 25 years, on both the East and West coasts. Natalie strongly favors working with independent Bay Area makers, and takes care to monitor the ethical transparency of stone and metal sourcing.

What to expect for your initial consultation:

Come in with your prototypes or designs. If you’re not quite to that point yet, we can work from your ideas to develop a starting point for your line.

Designs will be streamlined with production in mind. Hand-finishing adds substantial costs, so designing your line well from the start is vital for your profit margins.

If your line requires gemstones, we will discuss options, price points, and setting. Finishing processes like patina and plating are also available to add additional value to your line.

Email Natalie@salayidesigns.com to schedule an initial consultation and get your jewelry line made.

Close-up of a jeweler using a torch to heat a metal ring for crafting.