PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR 2026 DATES AND PRICING

Dear students

To all those who have been patiently waiting for me to get my head around the pricing and available dates for 2026, thank you so much. Please bear with me while I trial some changes to the format of the Beginner Course for 2026. Over the course of the next few months I am going to be rebuilding the website to hopefully integrate an app that will allow online bookings as well as a payment option that will allow you to pay the fees in installments, but this will require a lot of work on the back end so please be patient as I figure it all out. Just be advised that this page is temporary.

By all indications 2026 is going to be a very busy year, so I have tried to see where I can fit the courses in between my duties at the TUT and still leave enough free time to work on my thesis. Also, the silver price has been doing some crazy things these last few months, so I have had to adjust the pricing structure to account for unforeseen metal price increases. I’ve increased the amount of silver allocated to the projects as well so that we have more excess to work with.

I've also added a sixth day to make sure that there is enough time to get through the whole curriculum. Because of the way the course is structured now, what used to be two Bonus Modules have now been absorbed into the Beginner Course curriculum, so they are no longer considered separate.

Group Sessions vs. Private Sessions

For 2026 I will be offering the Beginner Course as both group and private sessions. Private sessions are priced slightly higher because I literally stand behind you all the time and tell you to move your elbow like this, pull your flame further away etc. With group sessions this kind of attention will not be possible all the time, but the sessions are still small, with a minimum of two and a maximum of four students per session.

Private Ad Hoc Sessions

I've also had a lot of enquiries about more advanced skills which I have decided to structure as independent stackable modules. I will publish these as I develop them, but you can book them so long. Excluding the Lost Wax Casting Module, which requires two consecutive days, these will be available on Saturdays and can be booked ad hoc as required on the dates indicated. Ad hoc sessions can also be booked to complete the Beginner Course spread out over a period of six loose Saturdays as it fits into your schedule and mine. Planned intermediate and advanced modules include: Minor Repairs, Finishing 3D Printed Castings, Faceted Settings 1 & 2, Wax Carving, Mould Making, Lost Wax Casting, Computer Aided Drawing 1, 2 & 3.

Why am I offering these courses?

South Africa's jewellery industry has experienced a major skills drain during the last decade and a half. At the same time there are many people currently employed in other sectors of the economy who desperately wish to make a change but are unable to commit to a 3 year diploma course at a university, nor are they able to support their families on the salary they can expect to be paid as an apprentice. Some prospective students don't exactly want to change their career, but they have always been fascinated by metal smithing and would like to learn how to do it as a hobby for themselves, and I like teaching them :).

I also use the money I make from teaching these courses to purchase materials and services so I can expand the rest of my business. As you can see by the look of the website, the jewellery listed here is mostly silver at this point. My goal is to build the business into a strong local jewellery brand capable of competing with our best jewellery brands, but since the business is entirely self-funded, that means investing every extra sent back into the business.

Who is this course for?

This course has been designed for people who wish to learn jewellery manufacturing specifically so they can enter the industry as an entrepreneur, or for young people who would just like to see if this is something they'd like to do. You will learn how to melt and cast your own metal, to roll it and shape it, to cut it and pierce it, to construct it by soldering several components together, to prepare and polish the surfaces as well as simple set work. These skills should equip you with a solid foundation upon which you can build and improve at your own pace. With practice you will be able to produce basic jewellery pieces of high enough quality for selling. I'll show you how to price your jewellery and where you can sell it.

How does it work?

This course is presented over a total of six days which you can book either private or as a group session (please scroll down for available dates). The course fees include the 6 Beginner Modules, the training manual, as well as the Consumables Starter Pack (valued at over R2000). Each student will produce a total of 10 jewellery pieces throughout the duration of the course. Lunch breaks are 30 minutes and catered, please submit special dietary requirements when you book your spot.

Evening Classes

The student will have the option of continuing their instruction by way of evening classes at R1650 per month for one 2h30 class per week on a Tuesday, 17:30 - 20:00. This fee includes instruction and use of the studio, but all materials and consumables will need to be purchased separately. Evening classes are unstructured, and students are encouraged to bring their own ideas for new projects.

The studio is located in Waverley, Pretoria. The address will be supplied upon successful booking.

What if I already know the basics and I just want to take classes to improve?

No problem. If you can demonstrate to me that you have at least a beginner level mastery of the skills listed below then you are most welcome to join us for evening classes at the same rate as students who have completed the course.

What you will learn

Here is a list of the skills that are developed during the program. Each of these are at beginner level and true mastery requires dedicated practice. Your muscles will be learning new things they haven't done before, and you will need to repeat these actions again and again in order to solidify them and become really good at it. This takes time.

Skills Addressed by the 6 Beginner Modules

You will learn how to melt and cast your own metal into an ingot for rolling;

How to restore the metal's ductility by annealing when it work hardens;

How to roll the metal out into plate or bar for wire;

How to draw wire by pulling the metal through a draw plate;

How to shape the metal into a ring, an earring and other components;

How to solder two pieces of metal together with a gas flame;

How to drill holes using a 0.8mm drill bit and a flexi shaft;

How to hold a figure saw and use it properly to cut out tiny details in sheet metal;

How to apply surface texture;

How to make a simple bezel setting for a cabochon stone;

How to set a cabochon in a simple bezel setting;

How to prepare the surface with sand paper for polishing;

How to achieve a high polish using various polishing techniques and polishing compound;

Where and how to procure equipment and materials;

Industry standards;

Which additional services are available and where to procure them;

How to price your jewellery;

Where to sell your jewellery;

How to create and prep vector files for laser cutting and engraving;*

How to finish laser cut pieces without damaging the engraving;*

* During this module will help you install the open-source software I use for laser projects on your own computer so please bring it along. If you don't have access to a computer, you can use mine. Although we'll be using the software, this is not a crash course in the software itself, you will only be learning very basic skills. In order to really understand and make use of the software you will need to upskill yourself at your own pace online.

 

Pricing

I'm not shouting at you, I just know you have been scrolling for this so that is why it is red.

Please take note that you will need to add the price of the metal to the price of the tuition to get to the total. Metal prices will be updated regularly to account for fluctuations in the silver price. As soon as you book, I order your metal, so the price is fixed at time of booking.

Deposit: I require you to pay the metal as well as a 30% deposit to book your seat. You can pay the rest as and when you see fit as long as it is all paid up at least one week before the first day of your booking.

Module	Beginner Course	Group Sessions	Private Sessions	Contact Hours
	Tuition:	R 15 550	R 17 050	45 hours
	Metal:	+- R 1 800	+- R 1 800
Consumables Starter Pack (valued at R2050)	See list below. This is mandatory as you won't be able to do the projects without it. The price includes a document with a description of each item, its uses, and where it can be procured from.	Included	Included
Module 1	5 Basic Rings	Included	Included	13 hours
Module 2	Chain Link Bracelet	Included	Included	8.5 hours
Module 3	Domed Earrings	Included	Included	5 hours
Module 4	Letter Pendant (includes chain)	Included	Included	8.5 hours
Module 5	Cabochon Ring OR Cabochon Pendant (excluding chain)	Included	Included	5 hours
Module 6	Laser Cut & Engraved Pendant (includes chain)	Included	Included	5 hours

 

Available Dates 2026

This is a clumsy way to publish it, I'm sorry, but in the interest of getting it out rather than taking longer trying to figure out how to properly do it in Shopify, please bear with me.

Below is a calendar with the available sessions. Sessions that have been booked already are clearly marked. As soon as I receive your deposit, I will manually update the appropriate calendar entries and republish. Please send an email with the name of the session you wish to book and the dates (just to make sure we are on the same page) to info@suritadutoit.com and I will send you an invoice. I've only opened up bookings for the first six months of the year because I need to just see if I can still get to my thesis adequately with the current structure. If I fall behind with that the second half of the year will have fewer sessions available.

 

 

 

Consumables Starter Pack (Mandatory for all beginners)

This is a collection of items you can't start your jewellery making journey without. I included some of the basic things that are generally not very expensive, but also some things that, even though they are expensive, will make a dramatic difference to your process and are certainly worth the price tag. Not all consumables are created equal, and often you get what you pay for. Excepting the saw frame, this pack includes the brands that I myself use. The saw frame is an entry level saw frame. Technically this is something that can be considered “bench tools” and not “consumables”, but I find saw frames to be very personal and it is a piece of equipment you get to know very well. If one has to share saw frames with other people, it becomes very difficult to cultivate accurate skill because each one feels slightly different in your hand depending on its state of wear. If you already have one and you don't feel you need another just let me know and we can do a work-around.

1 x Figure saw frame

1 x Bundle of 3/0 saw blades

1 x Bundle of 4/0 saw blades

3 x blocks of silver solder (easy, medium, hard)

1 x 0.8 mm drill bit

1 x 1.2 mm drill bit

3 x buff sticks

3 x different grits of sandpaper, 1 x sheet of each

1 x Sandpaper mandrel

1 x Rubber wheel mandrel

1 x Flat white rubber wheel

1 x Flat dark blue rubber wheel

1 x Flat light blue rubber wheel

1 x Flat pink rubber wheel

1 x Knife edge dark blue rubber wheel

1 x Knife edge pink rubber wheel

3 x Yellow 3M Radials

3 x Brown 3M Radials

3 x Blue 3M Radials

1 x Moore's Disc mandrel

3 x Moore's Discs in 3 different grits

2 x Floppy mops

1 x Brown bristle brush

1 x White bristle brush

1 x Mounted felt point

1 x Chunk of Unipol polishing compound

1 x Chunk of synthetic bees wax

1 x Small toolbox and plastic containers for storage (some of the items shouldn't be kept in contact with others)

 

The studio maintains a collection of pliers and files which are available for use by students during short courses, evening classes and workshops, so there is no need to purchase these right away, but if your plan is to make jewellery at your own home you will need these as well. I offer the starterpacks below for purchase.

Pliers Starter Pack - Approximately R 890 (price to be confirmed)

You can definitely get cheaper pliers at a craft store, I won't stop you, but just do so knowing that the pliers in this starter pack are precision tools. They are made of better steel and have been milled out rather than cast into their shapes. If you want to make quality jewellery, you will need quality tools. Craft store pliers will help you in the beginning if you have budget constraints, but buy them with the intention of replacing them as soon as you are able.

1 x Flat nose plier

1 x Round nose plier

1 x Round-flat plier

1 x Halfround-flat plier

1 x Chain nose plier

1 x Flush cutter

 

File Starter Packs

What goes for pliers goes for files as well, only much more so. Personally, I am a Vallorbe snob. I have been told that Pferd is on par with Vallorbe, although I have never used that brand, so I can't give a firsthand recommendation. While it is certainly enormously less expensive to buy files from a hardware store, working with low quality files will frustrate you, and ultimately cause you to give up. Hardware store brands are made of lower quality steel and don't hold their cutting edges very well. They don't have sharp corners and precise sides and as a result are less accurate. Brands like Vallorbe use high-carbon steel and precision cutting to produce a far superior tool. Vallorbe is incredibly expensive though, and I totally understand that someone who hasn't yet decided that they are in it for the long haul might not want to make this purchase right away. Therefore, here are two options. Opt for the budget set with the knowledge that you cannot achieve the same results as you would be able to with Vallorbe, and that even Vallorbe files go blunt eventually and will need to be replaced.

File Starter Pack - Vallorbe - Approximately R 4 540 (to be confirmed)

Vallorbe Flat Hand File Cut 0
Vallorbe Half Round Hand File Cut 0
Handles x 2
Vallorbe 6 Piece Needle File Set Cut 2
Brass Brush

 

File Starter Pack - Economy - Approximately R 1 500 (to be confirmed)

200mm Flat Second Cut File
200 mm Half Round Second Cut File
Handles x 2
ASIC 6 Piece Needle File Set #2
Brass Brush