LISA CLAXTON

As a little girl I was entranced by my dollhouse, everything in minature. My mom made a fireplace mantel by cutting a small square out of a jewelry box and then gluing little pebbles over the surface. At age 15 I began stitching seedbeads into jewelry and decorative objects. A shoulder injury put an abrupt halt on my bead stitching while presenting me with a new medium: wire, which continues to captivate me to this day.  

I explore new ideas and am driven by the classroom experience.  Together we can share the experience of making jewelry that is directed through technique and design but are reflective of individual style and inspiration.  My current work focuses on textile techniques with wire including: weaving, crochet and knitting. You can view my current work and jewelry making blog at LisaClaxton.com

View all of Lisa's classes at Baubles & Beads

COLIN MAHLER

Colin was first introduced to the joys of beading at the age of 13. She has studied metalsmithing and glass bead making, and has earned a certificate for pearl and bead stringing through the Gemological Institute of America. After teaching herself how to do basic wire wrapping, she became fascinated with all things wire. Though the art of making chain has become her newest passion, Colin's love will always be for beads and she loves to incorporate them into her chain creations. Contact Colin at beadwolf@yahoo.com.

View all of Colin's classes at Baubles & Beads

EMILY B MILLER

14 years ago I walked into a bead store. Since then my life has been taken over by beads, silver, PMC, tools, teaching and enjoying the creative process. I love to teach, passing on the unique pleasure I get from making beaded jewelry. Teaching is fascinating, watching the effect your words and actions have on another person. Following students efforts and seeing the creative process happen is so exciting. I’m constantly learning from students, finding new ways to explain or demonstrate a technique. Email Emily at class_director@baublesandbeads.com

It is the act of making that makes creativity so worthwhile, so go make something!

View all of Emily's classes at Baubles & Beads

HUIB PETERSEN

ANAT SILVERA

Anat has loved and made jewelry since she was a little girl in Los Angeles. Beginning at age 7 she was beading and doing wire work, and at age 12 she started studying with artists and craftsman, apprenticing as a metalsmith and learning how to create fine beadwork. Anat has exhibited and sold her work all over the U.S. and Canada, including an exhibit as a featured artist at the Oakland Museum of Art Collector's Gallery.  She has taught in the Bay Area for years.

Anat teaches beadwork and wirework, enameling and metalsmithing classes in Anchorage, AK, at Baubles & Beads in Berkeley, CA and at festivals across the country with her husband, Joe Silvera. Contact Anat via email at anat@silverajewelry.com 

JOE SILVERA

 "I  graduated with a BFA in Metalsmithing with honors from California State University at Long Beach in 1991 and then apprenticed as a goldsmith. Altogether, I've been a metalsmith for almost 20 years. Although I studied fabrication, soldering, casting, blacksmithing, goldsmithing and silversmithing, my favorite technique is lost wax casting. I  love to carve detailed sculptures of animals, people, nature, etc. and wax let's my imagination run wild.

"In college, I was the guy around the studio who couldn't help himself - I always helped the other students with their projects. That experience and my six years of teaching metalsmithing workshops around the San Francisco Bay area have helped me to become a good teacher. I squeeze a lot of material into my handouts and classes, and I'm fortunate to have a good following for my beginning metalsmitihing, soldering, and stone setting classes. Teaching jewelry is exciting for me, because I get to pass on the art of jewelry to my students, which links us all to a craft that has been around for thousands of years."

Contact Joe via email at

joe@silverajewelry.com