Learn to make jewelry

The Sawdust Festival will begin the year with a sparkling new class, January Jewelry.

The introductory class, which will be Jan. 26 on the festival grounds at 935 Laguna Canyon Road, will teach the creation of hand-fabricated jewelry from sheet metal.

Founding Sawdust member Marla Burns, a gold and silversmith for 41 years, will teach the course, where students will learn about the American Arts and Crafts movement, which uses the simple beauty of nature as its muse.

Each student will design and create one piece of jewelry from start to finish, learning and using different tools and techniques throughout the day.

A $150 class fee covers all materials in addition to the workshop time; each student will receive a selection of materials.

The program is made possible in part by a bequest from the estate of Kate MacDonald, which included the donation of many jewelry-making tools from the long-running MacDonald Jewelers, formerly at South Coast Highway and Diamond Street. MacDonald was predeceased by her husband, Everett MacDonald; both were longtime Sawdust Art Festival exhibitors.

For more information, call (949) 494-3030.