Jewellery Classes

Upcoming 5 Day Intensive Training Beginner Short Course dates:

To be confirmed.

 

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. Maybe you don't exactly want to change your career, but you have always been fascinated by metal smithing and would like to learn how to do it as a hobby for yourself.

If any of this sounds like you, I offer the following courses which have been designed to develop the skills needed for basic metal smithing. 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 without committing to building a whole e-commerce website.

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

The course is approached in two different ways to accommodate two different scheduling preferences.

Option 1:

5 Day Intensive Training Beginner Short Course

This course is presented over five consecutive weekdays. The course fees include the 5 Core Modules, all the sterling silver metal required for the projects, as well as the Consumables Starter Pack (valued at R1700), and two bonus modules valued at R2250. 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.

The student will have the option of continuing their instruction by way of evening classes at R1500 per month for one 2h30 class per week on a Wednesday, 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.

Option 2:

Evening classes

Students wishing to enroll for evening classes will need to complete each of the 5 Core Modules separately over a 14 week period. The modules are stackable, and you do not need to commit to the whole program all at once, but I require that all 5 of the Core Modules be completed, and in the correct order, before you can join the classes at the reduced rate. This is to ensure that you have all the foundational skills before working on your own projects. Module prices include the class fees and silver needed to produce the pieces, but because it applies to the whole set of modules the Consumables Starter Pack will need to be purchased separately at R1700 at the beginning of the first module.

Upon completion of the 5 Core Modules the student will have the option of continuing their instruction during the same time slot at a reduced rate of R1500 per month for one class per week. These classes are not structured by predetermined projects and students are encouraged to bring their own ideas for new projects. All materials and consumables for evening classes are sold separately, the monthly fee is for the instruction and use of the studio only.

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 5 Core Module 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.

5 Core Module Skills

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 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;

 

Bonus Module 1 Skills* - Laser Cut and Engraved Pendant

During this workshop I 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.

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

How to finish laser cut pieces without damaging the engraving;

 

Bonus Module 2 Skills* - Lecture on The South African Jewellery Industry

This information is not top secret, and you'll probably learn most of this during the course of evening classes anyway, but the workshop is presented with a PowerPoint presentation to help you form a better understanding and comes with a stack of notes and resources, so the price is just to make this worth my time and the cost of printing. You will learn:

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;

* Bonus modules are included in the 5 Day Short Course. Outside of this short course they are offered only as workshops on particular dates dictated by demand. The laser cut project necessitates breaking it up into two sessions because I need to submit the vectors for cutting and receive them back before the second half of the workshop can take place.

 

Course Pricing

Module	Project	5 Day Short Course	Evening Classes	Duration
	Total:	R 13 500	R 17 450	14 classes
Consumables Starter Pack	See list below. This is mandatory as you won't be able to do the projects without it.	Included	R 1 700
Core Module 1	5 Basic Rings	Included	R 2 950	5 classes
Core Module 2	Jointed Drop Earrings	Included	R 2 950	2 classes
Core Module 3	Letter Pendant (includes chain)	Included	R 2 300	2 classes
Core Module 4	Basic Bracelet	Included	R 2 650	3 classes
Core Module 5	Cabochon Ring OR Cabochon Pendant (excluding chain)	Included	R 2 650	2 classes
Bonus Module 1	Laser Cut & Engraved Pendant (includes chain)	Included	R 1700	2 classes
Bonus Module 2	Lecture On The South African Jewellery Industry (2h30)	Included	R 550	1 class

 

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

3 x Buff sticks

3 x Different grits of sandpaper, single sheets

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 Floppy mop

1 x Brown bristle brush

1 x Mounted felt point

1 x Chunk of Unipol polishing compound

1 x Set of 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 - R 710

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 - R 3 700

1 x Flat file with handle, cut 0

1 x Half-round file with handle, cut 0

1 x 6 piece set of needle files (no handles)

1 x set of 3 brushes for cleaning files.

 

File Starter Pack - Economy - R 995

1 x flat bastard file (this is really what they are called)

1 x half round bastard file (yes, really)

1 x 10 piece set of Afile needle files

1 x set of 3 brushes for cleaning files.