What will I make at one of your Bristol silver jewellery making classes?
If you’ve always wanted to create your own unique piece of silver jewellery by hand then my Bristol Jewellery Making Workshops are for you! These fun and informal jewellery classes take place every 6 weeks or so at Kiln Workshop just off Gloucester Road in Bishopston, Bristol. If you’ve not been to the venue beofre, it's a lovely laid back pottery painting café, perfect for some creative r’n’r.
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.
What is wax carving? It sounds tricky!
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.
Can I make a ring or pendant in gold rather than silver?
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 bas