For a long time, jewelry was only available to the extremely wealthy, the artists who made it for them, and the thieves hired to steal it from them to collect the insurance money. Break into the creative cycle with this Groupon.
Choose from Four Options
- $25 for a jewelry-making class for one (a $56 value)
- $45 for a jewelry-making class for two (a $112 value)
- $79 for a jewelry-making class for four ($224 value)
- $199 for a private jewelry-making party for up to 12 guests (a $672 value)
In both classes and parties, participants choose to construct a trio of wire rings or string handmade glass beads onto two bracelets or one necklace. Instructors host the two-hour, public classes on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays; consult the schedule to select a date. At private parties, up to 12 guests may sip beverages brought from home while making their jewelry.
Beads by Design
Hidden just east of Cobb Parkway, a complex of low, slate-blue warehouses shelters a community of textile workers, sculptors, and graphic designers intent on refining their art. Beads by Design's shop and atelier contributes to this creative wellspring, and today the Southern Flames—a society of glass-bead makers—gather there for their monthly meetings. The shop opened in 1998, displaying a wealth of Japanese Delica seed beads, fire-polished and pressed glass beads, pearls, gemstones, and glittering Swarovski crystals under the high, exposed-metal roof. Visitors can pick up notions or tools, or stick around for jewelry-making classes. These begin with the basics of knotting wire rings and stringing necklaces and expand into the creation of broad, beaded cuffs inspired by Ndebele jewelry and macramé techniques for braiding copper wire. To give students complete creative control of their work, instructors provide propane torches attached to work tables, and safely teach how to fabricate glass beads and intimidate nay-saying critics.