Bolos and Bluegrass with Jamie Halpern – G24050203
Construct your own bolo tie to commemorate the Ghost Ranch Bluegrass Festival. This is a hands-on course in silver jewelry-making for students both new to silversmithing or who already have basic silversmith skills, who are at least 16 years of age.. This class is designed to complement the Ghost Ranch Bluegrass Festival. Students will learn to construct Bolo ties, a form of neckwear that emerged in the 1940s and has developed into beautiful styles for both men and women. Students will learn basic silversmithing skills in the beautiful and fully-equipped Ghost Ranch silversmith studio and construct one or more bolo ties using sterling silver and semi-precious stones.
Instructors
-
Brandon RuppertBrandon Ruppert has always been a maker and a builder of things. One of his fondest memories is as a child building birdhouses with his grandpa. Brandon attended the Krenov School of Fine Woodworking as a young adult where he developed an eye for craftsmanship, balance in design,
and the method of building with raw materials, often with self-made tools. Brandon has spent the last three decades raising a family and working at his family’s cattle ranch in northern New Mexico, while continuing to create in both wood and metal medias. In 2021 Brandon attended the silversmithing class with Jamie Halpern and Steve LaRance at Ghost Ranch and has found it to be a wonderful creative outlet. As his role at the family ranch transitions, he hopes to spend more time helping to teach others the art and techniques of metalsmithing. Brandon’s work can be seen atMoMo Taos in Taos, New Mexico. -
Jamie Halpern
Jamie Halpern is an accomplished silversmith, lapidary artist and metalsmith instructor. His work reflects southwestern art and jewelry-making styles and is influenced by travels throughout the United States, the South Pacific and Europe. Working with silver and colorful semi-precious stones through metal fabrication and inlay, and through his teachings with beginning and advanced jewelry students and artists, Jamie celebrates creativity and personal exploration and nurtures artistic expression. His jewelry is sold through private commissions. He has taught silversmithing and lapidary art at Ghost Ranch for a number of years to rave reviews and testaments to how professional pieces can be crafted with focused time. Examples of Jamie’s work can be found at: Jehalpernjewelry.com.