Make a Unique Silver Ring or Pendant Workshop

Over the course of the 2.5 hr jewellery making workshop, we explore the ancient technique of wax carving. You can choose to make a ring or a pendant and we’ll use a range of tools – files, craft knives and special heated wax pens – to create different effects in the wax. I will then send your finished wax ‘master’ to be cast in silver then I’ll finish and polish it before posting it back to you a few weeks later.

Wax carving is a brilliant technique for creating pieces with a bit more texture and volume than you’d get from making jewellery from a section of sheet or wire. In the jewellery class we'll use blue jewellers wax which can be easily carved into with the tools to shape into your desired ring or pendant design. It works equally well for bold geometric designs and softer more organic pieces. You can add details such as spheres by melting the wax with a wax pen or give the piece a faceted finish by chipping bits off with your craft knife. Those with a steady hand can also carve a design into the wax piece such a flower, leaf or initial. If you’d like to see some examples of jewellery that previous students have made then do check out my Pinterest board. Of, if you have any idea and you’re not sure if it would work then of course just drop me a line and we can chat though your design.

At present I don’t offer pieces for casting in solid gold due to the high cost, but do let me know if this is something you’d be interested in as I’d be happy to provide you with a quote. However, if silver isn’t your thing you can opt for a gold vermeil finish for your piece. This is a layer of hard gold plating over a silver base and if you look after it well it's pretty durable. You’ll just need to let me know on the night and pay a small additional charge (£30) to have your jewellery finished in this way.

No, absolutely not! Don’t worry if you don’t have a design in mind before you start. I always have some photos of rings and pendants that other workshop participants have made and a display of sample pieces to give you some inspiration. Some people like to plan out what they’re doing in advance and others just go with the flow and see what happens – either approach is fine! You may decide that you just want to get a feel for the material and how it behaves before you decide on a design. If you have a very specific idea in mind and want to talk it through in advance of the class then of course please do get in touch and we can discuss how to make it work.

Don’t worry if you’ve never made jewellery before…these jewellery making classes are suitable for everyone, whatever your level. I promise you that no previous jewellery making experience is needed to make something beautiful. I've had attendees as young as 11 years old to over 70 years old and everyone has been able to create a wonderful and unqiue piece of jewellery for themselves. If you have some basic jewellery making skills such as sawing, filing and soldering then that’s great, but wax carving is quite a different technique so it’s not necessary to have made jewellery before to able to create something great!