Silversmithing Jewellery – Workshop

Developed for beginners, the course will enable you to design and create your own pieces of jewellery in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. You'll be guided through the basic principles of jewellery making and introduced to the tools you'll be using such as the piercing saw, hammers, pliers and blowtorch for silver soldering.

You'll start with copper for practice before moving on to working with silver. Your first silver piece of jewellery will be a ring sized to fit you. After the introduction to these skills, the second half of the course provides the time to work on your own collection of jewellery, under the guidance of tutor, Lesley H Phillips or Yvette Cannon, and accompanying technician, Imogen Hughes.

Through an informative induction, you'll also be provided with all the relevant health and safety information needed regarding good workshop practice.

One of the great advantages of working in silver is that it is relatively easy to continue working at home after the class without a big investment, as you can use a small selection of tools to start with. Each session will cover a specific area, with examples, and will be followed by a practical mini brief to enhance your design and practical skills.

• Piercing
• Soldering
• Texturing, granulation
• Riveting, combining metals
• Sanding, polishing and burnishing
• Basic cabochon setting

This course aims to:

• Provide you with a fundamental practical understanding of the essential techniques to continue your jewellery making at home
• Encourage and develop your creative potential and confidence
• Widen your understanding and appreciation in the art of jewellery making

• You'll have a comprehensive overview, understanding and hands-on practical experience working with silver
• All students with 100% course attendance will be issued with an official AUB Short Course certificate of attendance. To request your certificate get in touch with the course team at shortcourses@aub.ac.uk

This introductory course assumes students possess no previous knowledge and is suitable for beginners, or those with some previous experience who wish to improve their skills. Suitable for budding jewellery makers aged 18+.

Please note that the first four classes will cover the core learning elements so it's recommended that you do not sign up to this course late as your learning and enjoyment may be considerably impacted by missing these early fundamental classes.

• Notebook and pen/pencil to jot down ideas or information given.
• You should wear old clothes or an apron and flat, closed-toe shoes.
• Your glasses if needed for close work, and a hairband if you have long hair.

You'll need to purchase your own silver. This can be purchased independently (a list of suppliers will be available in class) or through the course tutor on the first lesson.

The cost per student will vary, depending on the amount of silver used. Projects can be designed to suit everyone’s budget.