Allerton Park & Retreat Center

Experience Level: Beginner (ages 18+)  

Turn copper wire into wearable art while learning a centuries-old technique at Jewelry 101: Viking Weaving on Sunday, Sept. 27 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in The Studio. 

In this beginning jewelry making workshop participants will learn about an ancient process and fabricate a tubular copper chain resulting in a flexible and lightweight bracelet or necklace. Students will make handmade decorative end caps and a closure from heavier gauge round copper wire. The chain can remain copper in color or patinated to take on a rich coloration from warm light brown to black.  

Enrollment includes a toolkit that will enable you to continue working at home.  

$120/person. Registration closes on Sept. 20 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.  

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu. 

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken. 

About the Instructor 

Billie Theide is Professor Emerita and a former Chair of the Crafts Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Theide is a metalsmith, jeweler, textile artist, and ceramicist. Her work is in public art collections around the world including the Smithsonian, Museum of Arts & Design in New York City, Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, and the Racine Art Museum, among others. She is the recipient of a Visual Arts Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and five Artists Fellowship Grants from the Illinois Arts Council. Theide has been recognized for her excellence in teaching and is a Distinguished Member and Past-President of the Society of North American Goldsmiths.