On March 1st Caroline and Tom spent the day in the studio with me, making their wedding rings. We began with a strip of metal, then shaped, cut, soldered, formed, filed, buffed and finally polished to create beautifully finshed rings.
Annealing the metal
Forming the shape
Getting the rings the correct size
Cutting the solder
Removing all marks with a buff stick
We also had the help of a four legged friend!
On 6th February I hosted a ring making workshop with 4 students – all beginners, who made really lovely rings. After demonstrating several different techniques, students made rings to their own designs. A great day – enjoyed by all.
Margaret used oval wire to make the ring, and made small silver granules and soldered them in a cluster to the top. Great solering - perfect!
Using 4mm D section wire Joanna made the ring and with a domed head hammer planished the surface. With a little extra time left she manged a small pendant too, applying a variety of the techiniques I had covered in the class.
Linda kept her design simple allowing her to make 2 rings that sit together perfectly. Using the planishing technique to add the surface detail to both ring. A perfect example of how to keep it simple and finsh the rings well - a successful day!
Amanda experiment with using a punch to apply texture to one ring and a flat head hammer to texture the second ring. Finally making a small ring to hold them together. A great example of using different techniques in a simple effective way.
On 16th January Bronwen Tyler Jones hosted a box making workshop, based on designs from her current collection. Students worked in copper and brass to create small boxes with hinged doors and catches. A really fascinating day, covering many different techniques.
As well as producing lovely things, the workshops are really good fun. We had a great group of ladies which makes the day really interesting and enjoyable for Bron and I too.
Rose creating the shape by using square and round mandrels.
Zoe adding the flux to keep the joint clean.
Sue preparing to stick feed the solder.
One of the finshed boxes, which includes a huge amount of work, including making the hinges... All this in under 6 hours!
Bronwen was very generous with her knowledge and the workshop was very much inspired by her work.
Tools of the trade!
I run day courses for students with all levels of ability. Some courses are technique based, for example setting or piercing, and some focus on a type of jewellery, i.e.; rings or lockets.
Visit the Jewellery Workshop Dates page for a full list and to book!
The courses are run from my rural North Herefordshire studio. I teach several courses and also have other jewellery professionals take classes too based on their own specialisms. However, I am always involved as I love seeing what students are working on!
The classes are always great fun, and you can see for yourself the fantastic pieces that students have made by visiting the student gallery. I aim to provide students with a relaxed atmosphere to make and learn new skills, while being an enjoyable and sociable day too.
Have a look at the feedback section to see what students have said about previous courses.
If you would like to have a day of one-to-one tuition the cost is £140. This can provide more focused learning to students needs and you will certainly learn more as you have complete attention. To discuss your ideas please get in touch.
If you are travelling to attend a course and are looking for local accommodation, I can highly recommend Grendon Manor in Bredenbury.
I love my studio! It is a great space that offers me flexibility. Here are few images to give you an idea of the space.
My studio!
I love having the windows open in the summer whilst I work away.
Having the sun streaming in is not perfect for soldering, but I can't bring myself to block it out!
I love watching the weather change through the studio window.
New year, new shelves (an early spring clean!)
The day before a workshop; so I have dusted down the bench ready for the students.
At some point I will need to tidy my theme board; but it has become a time line. The things first put on 4 years ago are now deep underneath!
A blue sky and lovely crisp snow through the studio window - perfect!
The last jewellery workshop of this year was on July 31st, and I am now focusing on making jewellery for shows until January 2011. Jewellery workshop dates 2011 will be published on this page in the next few weeks, but if you can’t wait that long I am still happy to offer one to one jewellery classes during the week.
I will be offering new jewellery workshops for 2011, while still offering favourites that booked up quickly this year.
Georgina Franklin has been experimenting and incorporating fold forming into her own work and will be running a workshop based on this lovely technique. You will be able to experiment in copper and then transfer the skills into silver. Here is a taster of some things you could make.
Fold form copper shape that woud make a stunning brooch or earrings.
Fold forming creates natural organic shapes in a simple way.
Fold form copper sample that would work well as a simple bangle.
The bangle workshop was a great success and we will be running it again next year, though I am sure it will book up very quickly as it did before.
Kath made this bangle in the 2010 workshop, it was the first time she had worked with silver which you would never believe!
The contemporary box workshop was also very successful this year. Students made boxes in copper and brass based on simplified versions of Bronwen’s own design. It is a great way of finding out more about hinges and catches. The locket workshop also allow students to make hinges and catches, though on a slightly small scale and in silver.
These are Bronwen's boxes, but you will be able to make simpler versions on the box workshop.
Due to demand we will be running more workshops based on types of jewellery, so the ring workshop which we ran in February 2010 will be running again, joined by an earring workshop, pendant workshop and silver linked bracelet.
Oxidised silver and reticulated pendant.
A student's ring made during a one day workshop
If you are interested in learning how to set stones, we will be running a silver workshop in which you can work on whatever you wish, including rubover or claw settings.
Dates and more info coming soon to this page!
I am a contemporary jewellery designer maker based in rural Herefordshire. My collection is subtle and pure incorporating clean lines and a soft finish. I pass on my skills through teaching jewellery workshops from my jewellery making studio.
