A Day at Sandra's Bench
A few times a year, Sandra opens her workshop to a small group of guests. A full day at the bench, learning the slow craft of working with sterling silver — by hand, the way it has always been done.
Where the silver begins.
The workshop sits at the end of a dirt road outside Taos — a small adobe building with a high desert sky and the kind of silence that lets you hear your own thinking. Sandra has worked here for years, and most days, it's just her, the bench, and the mountains.
This is where the silver becomes silver. Where raw sheet metal turns into something that someone, somewhere, will wear against her skin for the rest of her life.
A few times a year, the door opens to guests.
Not many. Sandra works with no more than four people at a time — anything more, and the bench gets crowded, the day gets noisy, and the slow craft starts to feel rushed. That's not what this is for.
It's a full day. You arrive at dawn, you leave when the light goes. In between, you learn what silver does in your hands. You make something. You take it home.
What the day looks like.
A rough rhythm — though Sandra adjusts each day to who is at the bench.
The Morning
Coffee on the porch, a short walk through the high desert. Sandra talks about silver — where it comes from, why it has been worn for three thousand years, what makes 925 sterling different from everything else on the market. No bench yet. Just listening, and the desert waking up.
The Bench
You sit at your own bench, with your own tools laid out. Sandra walks you through the basics — measuring, cutting, shaping, soldering. The first hour feels clumsy. The second feels possible. By lunch, you've already shaped your first piece of silver in your hands.
Your Piece
You make something. A simple ring, a pendant, a cuff — Sandra helps you choose what feels right. The afternoon is quiet, focused, slower than you expect. Time disappears in a way it usually doesn't anymore.
The Quiet
Your piece is polished, finished, on your hand or around your neck. Tea on the porch. Sandra signs a small certificate. The light goes pink, then violet, then dark. You leave with something you made — and a different relationship with the silver you wear from now on.
One piece, made entirely by your own hands.
You'll choose between a simple ring, a small pendant, or a thin cuff bracelet — pieces forgiving enough to learn on, beautiful enough to wear for the rest of your life.
Sterling silver. 925 sterling. Real, hypoallergenic, lead and nickel free. The same metal Sandra works with every day.
Apply to Join a Workshop.
Workshops are by application only. Sandra reads each letter personally and writes back within a few days. There's no urgency, no calendar pressure — just write to her like you would write to a friend.
Questions, answered.
How long is the workshop?
One full day, from dawn to dusk. Roughly twelve hours, though it never feels that long.
How many people are in each workshop?
Sandra works with no more than four guests at a time. Often fewer.
Do I need any experience?
None at all. The workshop is designed for first-time makers. Sandra teaches everything from the ground up.
How do I get to the workshop?
The workshop is located outside Taos, New Mexico — about three hours from Albuquerque or Santa Fe. Travel details, accommodation suggestions, and directions are shared with selected applicants once Sandra has replied.
What does the workshop cost?
Pricing is shared individually with selected applicants. Sandra prefers to talk through what's right for each guest rather than list it publicly.
When will I hear back?
Sandra reads every letter herself and replies within a few days. The workshop is small, so each note gets the attention it deserves.
Until then, the silver itself.
Every piece in the collection is made the same way Sandra teaches at the bench. Real 925 sterling, lead-free, nickel-free, made to live on your skin.