Entry No. 56 — the Des Moines file — filed under: hands-on

Des Moines Art Center Studios - Metals & Jewelry Ring Making

The Art Center's Studio School runs short metalsmithing workshops in its dedicated metals studio where you fabricate a bezel-set cabochon ring from raw metal, learning sawing, soldering, and finishing. No previous metalsmithing experience is required and all tools and supplies are provided. Sessions run on a published schedule (a recent run met four evenings over a single week) and tend to sell out, so they appear and disappear from the catalog. It sits inside one of the Midwest's notable art museums, designed in part by I.M. Pei and Richard Meier.

The move: Over a short evening workshop, each of you saws, solders, and sets a stone into a custom silver ring and walks out wearing something the other person watched you make.

📍 Before you go Offered as scheduled session-based workshops that sell out fast; check the current class catalog for an upcoming ring-making or metals offering since dates rotate.

• 📍 Greenwood / Western Gateway
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 4700 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50312

Hours: Added 2026-06-23 — confirm current hours before you go.

⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3

last checked: 2026-06-23