Attendees can make their own rings at a copper electroforming jewelry workshop this week.
"Copper & Crystals: Rings" will take place at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at Sophia Collective in downtown Bloomington on North Morton Street.
Electroforming is through the process of fusing copper to other mediums, in this case to make jewelry. The workshop will be taught by Allie McHaley, owner of jewelry company Allie and Tess. Her company specializes in holistic healing through crystals, essential oils and reiki.
“If you’re interested in crystals or you just love jewelry or you just want to try something new, the Copper and Crystals class can be a fun opportunity for that,” McHaley said.
McHaley is one of Sophia Collective’s seven cofounders. The studio is comprised of different healers including a chiropractor, esthetician, massage therapist and reiki master who offer services such as vegan spray tanning and waxing. It also features a movement studio, retail space and an infrared sauna.
“We’re a well-being studio,” McHaley said. “You can come and you can heal your body, mind and spirit.”
The $65 ticket to the class includes the materials for the ring, education on how to make it and some light refreshments. McHaley said the ticket price is comparable to the price of her jewelry pieces available for purchase.
During the workshop, each student will learn how to make a ring band and securely attach the stone to the shaft. They will have the opportunity to create rings in different styles and even come up with their own design.
“It’s a totally one-of-a-kind piece,” McHaley said.
Students will pick from a number of both polished and raw stones including clear quartz, amethyst, jasper, agates, smoky quartz, ruby and blue kyanite, McHaley said.
After the class, McHaley said she will take the pieces back to the studio where she will carry out the final steps of the ring making process. Participants will then be able to pick up their pieces around two to three weeks later at Sophia Collective.
“I enjoy watching people making what they make,” McHaley said. “But their faces when they come and pick it up and they get to see what they created and how proud they are of what they created, I think that’s the best part.”
While the class does not require any experience, she said that she anticipates students will struggle with letting go of perfectionism.
“People get stuck in their heads and want it to look perfect,” McHaley said. “And if they’ve never done it before, it can be a little intimidating. You don’t have to have had any experience making jewelry in order to walk away with something really beautiful.”
Through the workshop two-and-a-half hour workshop, McHaley said she hopes to connect people with the healing properties of the stones and open people’s minds to what they can make themselves.
“It’s just introducing people to an alternative way of finding ways to take care of themselves,” McHaley said. “I hope people find that they had a really fun experience making something with their hands."
