Athenaeum Studios is a Logan Square silversmithing studio where guests build their own sterling silver jewelry from raw metal, guided step-by-step by jeweler AJ Olsen. Olsen left a career in neurological research to pursue goldsmithing, and her nature- and celestial-inspired pieces have become a signature of her private jewelry classes across Chicago. Workshops travel to the group's location, turning a spare room, backyard, or rental into a full silversmithing bench for the afternoon. The pacing suits total beginners as easily as guests who've worked with metal before, which makes it a regular pick for birthdays, bachelorettes, and other group celebrations looking for something to actually make with their hands.
