MAA#23: Maleku Jewelry of Costa Rica and Brooch Pin Demo

Guided by award-winning jewelry designer Ileana Rojas-Bennett, our virtual trip to meet the Maleku people of Costa Rica was great fun. We learned about their village system and ingenious home construction techniques and then viewed hand-painted seed jewelry, colorful masks and intricately-carved gourds. We even learned a few words in the Maleku language - capi capi means Hello! Next, Anne showed us a great approach for making brooch backs (including two special tricks) and we announced the details of our brand new call for art...Emerge. While we weren't able to record the live episode, we do have a video of Anne's brooch back/pin demo. Read on for photos, resource links and the video demo.  ​​

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Click images for a larger view.

Resource links:

• Support Maleku artisans by purchasing their beautiful crafts at Ileana Rojas-Bennet's website malekujewelry.com and Instagram.
• Learn more about the Maleku in this video featuring Ileana.
• Karla's source for Moore's plastic-backed sanding discs (recommended by Anne): Zak's Jewelry Tools and Patty's source Esslinger.com.
  
• Anne's source for dental wire - Amazon or Ebay.

MAAA is a FREE weekly online metal arts live show. In this fun, interactive gathering we offer demos, share tips & tricks, feature work by artists and students from around the world, go on virtual studio tours, discuss historical metal arts traditions and share resources. You're invited to join in! Need help with a tricky soldering job? Wondering if a tip you saw really works? Want to give us a tour of your studio or recommend an instructor? Submit a question or segment idea and we'll follow up. Send it in! ​

Save the date for our next Metal Arts Adventure: March 18ht - Meet the Master: Norio Tamagawa and the Mokume Gods of Mt. Yahiko.