Local retired web developer Bev Frey, 48, escapes from the creative privation of the computer world by enrolling in art classes.

The irony in her skill is that she doesn't wear much jewelry, but she has family and friends that are more than willing to accept glittery gifts.

Frey initially decided on the metalwork jewelry course because she has a list of things she wants to learn before she dies, and jewelry making was on it.

This is Frey's third semester metal working. She has already tried rug braiding and watercolors, and she plans on attempting sculpture next.

The process of jewelry manufacture is long and involved. For large pieces of solid silver it begins with a wax carving. For Frey, that involves working the wax into a shape that speaks to her. Often that means working without an initial plan.

Occasionally she uses her computer skills to her advantage by preemptively laying out her designs in Photoshop. After the wax figure is made, she pours investment around it, with tubes for the silver to poured through after the plaster hardens and the wax is melted out. The silver in the plaster mold is spun to remove air bubbles, after it hardens the tubes are broken and sanded off then the plaster is burned away.

Frey hates the process of casting because she doesn't feel that she has enough control over the end result. The pin, on the other hand, she truly enjoyed making and designing. The process of fabrication varies greatly from casting.

Frey enjoys it more because she can let the stones determine what design to use on the pin, and she can be involved with every part of the process from bending to soldering the silver as well as polishing the stones. The trick to successful art is discovering what combinations and dimensions look good together, she said.

"Some things work and some things don't," Frey said. "I like to think the one thing I don't do is ugly."