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    Jewelryclassdc

    4.9 (32 reviews)
    Open 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

    By appointment only

    Updated 1 month ago

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    Recommended Reviews - Jewelryclassdc

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    I was able to make this sterling silver twisted wrap ring on day one of metals 1!!
    Patricia B.

    JewelryClassDC is a wonderful place to learn goldsmithing/jewelry & Dan is the best instructor ever! He's truly an expert & a great dude . You'll learn a ton and have lots of fun too! Can't recommend it enough

    Soldering demo from Dan during class.

    Pros: Excellent Teacher, Best Tools and Workshop, Amazing Community. Cons: Highly addicting! I've been taking classes at Dan's studio for over 3 years and frankly can't seem to stop. The studio is fully equipped with any kind of goldsmithing tool you could imagine, modern or old-fashioned. The class sizes are small enough to get plenty of one-on-one assistance. The projects each semester are different and offer new skills to learn. Most importantly, the skills Dan teaches are the real deal, learning techniques in hammer forging, soldering, fabricating heavy bezels, and working in sterling silver. Dan is a master goldsmith and an excellent teacher. Classes are an amazing creative experience but also really fun. If you're thinking about learning more about the art and engineering of jewelry metalsmithing, or just want to learn a new skill for fun, this is the place to do it.

    Various rings made at JewelryClassDC
    William W.

    I have a very special someone in my life and I wanted to get the right engagement ring for them but I'm also on a budget. I also wanted a ring that showed my dedication to the relationship and so I wanted to make it myself. I looked up JewelryClassDC and contacted Dan. After a brief phone call with what I felt like was an overwhelming project, Dan broke it down into a quick and super affordable estimate and we met the following week to discuss it in person. Next thing I knew, we ordered a stone, Dan had me create a silver ingot, forge it into a beautiful ring and suddenly I had this amazing ring that was the perfect engagement ring. Not only did I create an awesome ring, but Dan had given me this awesome knowledge to utilize the proper tools, general etiquette in a professional studio and a desire to learn more! Shortly after making the engagement ring, I took the metals I class with my fiancé for our date night which was a blast! Since then I've made tons of rings, a bracelet, a necklace, and a silver wedding band for myself. I'm planning on making a gold wedding band, a pendant with matching earrings, rings for my kids and a ton more projects. The satisfaction of creating something beautiful that you can wear or give as a gift is unmatched and having the confidence and knowledge to do it yourself is so liberating! Dan makes the learning process fun, he gives his students the opportunity to try and learn in the process and walk away with more than just a piece of jewelry. If you've ever been interested in learning to make jewelry, I highly recommend JewelryClassDC!!!

    Sterling silver wire ring made in the Intro Class.
    Stu H.

    I have taken the Intro Class and two of the Advanced classes at Jewelry Class DC and I've been extremely happy with the classes and Dan Valencia, who's been the instructor for all three. I've never been what you would describe as a very artistic person, but the classes at Jewelry Class DC have helped my bring out my creative side. Dan walks the students through every step of the process for making the pieces, and then helps you to customize the jewelry to match your style (or in my case, my girlfriend's style.) Each student gets their own jewelry bench, fully equipped with with all the tools you need (and plenty more that you learn to use along the way.) Dan is always very patient with the students and is always willing to help if there are questions about the projects, or just about metalwork in general. I've really enjoyed that he doesn't just tell us what to do with the silver, copper, or gold and move on, but he describes how the metal acts when you're working with it. Mostly importantly, he describes why it acts that way, and what you need to anticipate when you're using either a hammer, file, or flame. Several of the people in the classes with me have been interested in setting up their own bench at home and Dan has been very good at telling them what tools them will probably need, and which ones they can do without. Every few months, Dan also invites a gem wholesaler to come by the studio for a day and sell all the students gemstones at really good prices. If you are at all interested in learning to make jewelry, either for yourself or someone else, I highly recommend Jewelry Class DC.

    Shelby T.

    I am thrilled to have found Dan Valencia and Jewelry Class DC. I just completed my second round of classes, first Metals I and then II, and a flush setting workshop. I love this place! I would be here every day if I could! The facilities are amazing. The tools, machines, and materials available to students are top notch. The students are wonderful and I am very pleased find an organic sense of community. I felt that we all, despite our various levels of competence coming into the program, progressed tremendously. We all break things along the way, make mistakes, don't understand...but Dan is always there to provide support and guidance to bridge the gaps, and to get us all back on track and in control. Not only is Dan an elite goldsmith, he is a passionate teacher and is committed to driving his students to perform at their best. His mastery of tools is in and of itself, worth a class. Just teaching me the basics has blown open the doors to new ways of designing and approaching my work. Bottom line, you cannot go wrong taking a class or a workshop from Dan or any of the instructors.

    Chasing the vine texture into the band, using special punches and a chasing hammer
    Edgar S.

    I stumbled across JewelryClassDC (JCDC) while searching for the engagement ring that I'd present to my girlfriend when I proposed. I wanted to find something unique and interesting - one of a kind, like her. She was't interested in a diamond, and wanted something that looked handmade and resembled nature - much unlike many of the cookie-cutter styles I was finding during my ring search. So while scanning through Google I found the website of JCDC, called the phone number to leave a message, and Dan Called me back later that day. Dan Valencia is the owner/instructor of JCDC, and his niece Emily also teaches some fun classes. I described the idea to Dan that I'd like to work with him to build an engagement ring, and wanted his feedback as to whether this would be possible. Luckily he assured me that we could do anything I wanted, so I committed to the project. As per Dan's advice, I enrolled in his fall '14 jewelry class, in order to learn the skills that would be needed to make my ring. Engagement ring aside, this class was so much fun. The class consists of 8 3-hour sessions, held once a week. On the very first day, I made a ring out of a piece of Sterling silver; completely amazed that I could make such a beautiful thing. By the end of the class, each student makes several pieces of jewelry, all out of Sterling silver. For the record, Dan is a professional goldsmith, and as he told me during our first phone conversation, is particularly skilled at stonesetting - something that would be important when building my ring. I also can't imagine that there could be a more entertaining and wildly talented instructor than Dan. There are several things that set this class apart from other classes that I've since looked into. All projects are done using Sterling silver, which is quite unique to JCDC style. The classroom has a professional workbench for each student, and is stocked with a surplus of quality tools. Dan has a great appreciation for traditional techniques of jewelry making, as well as antique tools. You'll find many of these interesting tools and gadgets lining the walls of the shop. Students learn how to properly solder and forge jewelry, while having access to many unique tools and direct access to the instructor. The classes are small, so students have great supervising focus from Dan or Emily. This class is for anyone who wants to learn traditional techniques of metal working; you will NOT use any molds for your jewelry design. My experience is an excellent example of this. I made a rough sketch of the ring that I had in mind before working with Dan. I went to several jewelry makers in the DC area, showed them the ring and explained what I had in mind, and everyone told me that this piece would have to be made using a mold (casting). This would involve using rubber or wax to mold the design, and using that to create the gold design. Dan was the only person I found who was dead-set against casting. His explanation: "casting is an easy way to create a metal design, but the finished product will not be nearly as strong and durable as it would be if we were to make it by hand - by using tools and forging by hand". Forging and soldering, when done properly, produces an extremely durable and beautiful product, which can not be replicated. I now have a fiance (she said yes), with a one-of-a-kind engagement ring. She loves it. She loves telling people that I built it with Dan. We are planning to work with Dan to design our wedding bands before our wedding this September. She will build my ring, and I'll build hers. How awesome is that?!

    I started my journey at JewelryClass DC in August of 2019. What started as an interest in trying something new turned into a full time pursuit and passion. I cannot recommend this studio enough. Under the guidance of Daniel Valencia, owner and master goldsmith, I turned a creative outlet into a full time career. I cannot emphasize enough how wonderful the studio is. It's the most well equipped and beautifully designed art studio I have ever been in. Daniel is an incredible teacher that honors whatever your goals are. Whether it's to dabble in creativity, create your own wedding band or learn the art of jewelry making from the beginning - this is the place you must come to. Classes range from beginner to advanced. I started by taking a 3 day workshop then entered the ten month extended program. It was one of the best decisions of my life. There is not a tool you could want for that isn't already housed at JewelryClass DC. Before Covid - the extended classes even go to the Jewelry district together in NYC to learn the art of buying gems and networking in the industry. It was an outstanding learning experience. The other students at the school are a wealth of knowledge as well. This school and it's teachers are truly remarkable and welcoming. I give it my highest recommendation.

    Level I Sterling Wire Ring

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    4 months ago

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    Thank you Diana!

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    Thanks so much for the wonderful review Meredith!

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    Thanks Bruce! Laura and I loved helping you two!

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    It was my pleasure to work with you Andy.

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    5 years ago

    Dan the Man! The best jewelry instructor around. The value you get from this class pays for its self in the long run. I'm now in metals II.

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    Ask the Community - Jewelryclassdc

    Are classs focused solely on working with sterling silver or is working with 14kt gold also an option?

    Work is completed in Sterling Silver, I’ll be posting a intro to gold workshop next week, that would be a different curriculum and cost. Dan

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Jewelryclassdc

    Dan's attention to detail is incredible and the classes and workshops are organized and executed so well.

    Mentioned in 25 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Catbird - Store front

    Catbird

    (8 reviews)

    Georgetown

    I have loved Catbird ever since my friend first introduced me years back. This was my first visit…read moreto the Georgetown location and we made an appointment for another zapped bracelet. I really love their jewelry - it is dainty yet durable. I've had several of my pieces for years, and added another this time. I now have 3 bracelets and 3 rings, all that I wear daily. The customer service here is fantastic and the prices are reasonable for the quality. Highly recommend stopping by any of their stores!

    I've been a fan of Catbird for years. I've shopped in their LA location, Soho NYC and Brooklyn…read morelocations, so I was excited to check out this new Georgetown location as it's currently the closest to me. This was yet another great experience at Catbird! I came in already knowing the necklace I wanted to get and having an idea of a few rings I wanted to try on. I came on a Friday morning right by opening. Parking in Georgetown is definitely challenging; but you can find free street parking ~0.3-0.7 miles away in the residential areas if you circle around a bit and walk over. There was one employee there when I arrived and she was incredibly attentive, friendly, and helpful! They didn't have the Sylvie Medallion I wanted in stock but given that the necklace has an engraving option, this made sense. I wanted to come in and try it on though to gauge size of the pendant itself as well as figure out which chain length I wanted. The employee who was present totally understood this and produced another necklace pendant that was the same size and measured it with a ruler to double check, pulled out the exact chain I was thinking of and let me try out different samples wearing the necklace. I was able to pick out the chain I wanted and confirm the necklace was the size I wanted. I also tried on a bunch of rings to narrow down what I wanted and she was so patient with me as I tried several rings in multiple sizes to determine what fit and looked the best paired with my current stack. This location has a lot of jewelry on site, but if you're coming from far maybe call in advance just in case if you want to carry the jewelry out of store. I was able to order my necklace in store and have it shipped to my home with the custom engraving I wanted so that worked for me.

    Ascot Diamonds Washington D.C.

    Ascot Diamonds Washington D.C.

    (210 reviews)

    $$

    Ballston

    Yeeeeears ago - 1992 to be exact - my dad bought my mother a beautiful gold and diamond tennis…read morebracelet. I remember this clearly from when I was a little kid. It was so blingy and likely very expensive that she yelled at him for buying it. I, still in elementary school, saw that she was dissatisfied with the purchase and offered to take it off her hands. Surprisingly, she refused my offer. Well, earlier this year, exactly three decades later, she finally gave me the damn thing, along with appraisal paperwork from 1992 saying that it was worth $10,000 even then, before 30 years of inflation. But don't get excited and start planning to rob me quite yet, Internet. She also told me that the guy who sold it to my dad was later federally investigated for selling fake diamonds, so there was a chance it wasn't even real. I needed an appraisal. I looked around, and saw that Ascot Diamonds was highly reputable, so I reached out about an appraisal via e-mail. Paul e-mailed me back very promptly and offered to appraise it for free. I came in at the agreed time expecting it to be a regular storefront but it was more like a serious business office, immediately making me regret my scuzzy short shorts that I had thrown on for running errands. Paul was kind and welcoming and pleasant and sat me down at his desk while he examined the diamonds, weighed the bracelet, and then did a bunch of math on a calculator. He was able to confirm that they were real but that, while the bracelet was definitely worth something, the original appraisal was VERY overstated (so, big surprise, Internet, my bracelet is not worth $10,000, please don't rob me). In addition to giving me this candid but helpful information, Paul offered to recommend places where I could sell it, though I declined, as it is still quite pretty and, after waiting 30 years for it, I'm not ready to give it up. I did, however, point out what I thought was a damage, and asked if he had ideas on where to get it repaired. He looked at it and determined it was just dirt so then he cleaned it for me - again, no charge - and the whole thing is SO sparkly and shiny now. The entire interaction took maybe 10 minutes at the outside? It was so easy and pleasant and helpful, and he really didn't have to do this for me since I am not a paying customer but he did. What a truly nice guy.

    Honestly, I was initially fairly disappointed that they didn't have any sample rings to try on…read more That's probably failure on my part for not doing thorough research on the ring shop. Everything is custom made so they only have the diamonds and a few sample holders that you can hold the diamond in with tweezers and hover in the sample ring band. We are in the initial phases of ring shopping so we haven't gotten too far in the process with Ascot. What I will say is I was also initially disappointed with the customer service. The man helping us didn't seem super friendly. He seems passionate about talking about his ring knowledge but not about MY experience if that makes sense. I was probably being a bit cranky that the ring shop wasn't what I expected. So maybe he was giving me the same energy in return. They had tons of diamond choices, but if you're looking for larger carat sizes you might not find it here. He only brought out the carat sizes in 2-3 carat range. I believe they can order what you want, but they didn't have anything in store to try on. When I asked to see a bigger carat for the emerald he said that's all they had (size 3 carat). There weren't a ton of band selections in office to try on either. They have lab and natural diamonds. I didn't see the process but my boyfriend said the prices were reasonable. Just remember they price everything out individually since you're customizing the ring. Also, the ambiance of the ring shop wasn't the best. It just looked like an office which made the experience not feel as special like "wow! I'm in a ring shop and we are really doing this." All of that is part of the experience when shopping. You need to book an appointment in advance. There's street parking, but you have to pay for the street or garage parking. There's no parking validation available. Overall, we might give them another chance once I have a better idea of what it is I want. If you're not sure what you want this might not be the place for you since everything is based on you customizing it. I really want to like this place but I wish they made the experience a bit nicer on their customers. They offer 3D print option of the ring which takes some time but that's the best they can do for us visual folks.

    Jewelryclassdc - specialtyschools - Updated June 2026

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