Basic Projects:

These projects are completed in order, building all the essential skills as you go.

Project 1: Sawing & Piercing a pendant

This first project teaches the very basic skils of drilling metal, sawing and piercing, filing and sanding, and finally polishing your finished pendant.

Even though these are the most basic of metalworking techniques, they are used every day by jewellery makers. Some jewellers have based their whole collection using nothing more than beautifully hand-cut designs.

Inspiration from the garden: eco dyed paper and cut paper botanical

Examples of Project 1

Inspiration from the garden: eco dyed paper and cut paper botanical

Project 2: Making a Textured Chain

With the second project you will learn the basics of soldering with a jewellery torch.

Inspiration from the garden: eco dyed paper and cut paper botanical

Examples of Project 2

Inspiration from the garden: eco dyed paper and cut paper botanical

Project 3: Making a Textured Ring.

Next we’ll make a beautiful ring. This ring can be worn by itself or, as many of the students do, used to set a stone on top during the final project.

Inspiration from the garden: eco dyed paper and cut paper botanical

Examples of Project 3

Inspiration from the garden: eco dyed paper and cut paper botanical

Project 4: Sweat Soldering

Sweat soldering is a different technique from the first one we used in making the chain and the ring.
The solder is placed between layers and allows you to make very cool or intricate designs.

Inspiration from the garden: eco dyed paper and cut paper botanical

Examples of Project 4

Corner of a room with old, peeling wallpaper featuring a floral pattern in muted colors and a black paper cutout of a leafy plant shape on the brown carpeted floor.

Project 5: Filigree

Filigree the way I teach it is not the traditional, fine, intricate work you might have seen before. We’ll use bold lines that are made from wire rolled to the exact size you need in the rolling mill. This project is all about precision fitting pieces of metal into a beautiful design. It gets you ready for the final project where precision will be essential!

A corner of a room with torn wallpaper featuring floral and animal images, a black paper cutout of leaves on the floor, and fabric or paper remnants scattered on the ground.

Examples of Project 5

An interior corner with wallpaper featuring purple flowers and leaves, a black paper cutout of a branch with leaves on the floor, and part of a beige-colored fabric or curtain.

Project 6: Bezel Setting a Cabochon

In this final project, we’ll set a stone in a silver bezel. You can wear your finished setting as a pendant or a ring. This is where lots of students use the ring made in Project 3!

A corner with wallpaper of purple and beige leaves, a textured beige baseboard, and black paper cutouts of leaves on the floor.

Examples of Project 6

A corner of a room with floral wallpaper, a fabric border, a piece of art featuring a person's profile, and black cut-out paper leaves on the floor.