Jewellery-making in 8 weeks - Tuesday Eve Mixed Level

Name: Jewellery-making in 8 weeks - Tuesday Eve Mixed Level
Start: 2025-10-14T07:30:00+13:00
Location: 65 Abel Smith St, Wellington, New Zealand 6011

Schedule

Tue, 14 Oct, 2025 at 07:30 am

UTC+13:00

Location

65 Abel Smith St, Wellington, New Zealand 6011 | Wellington, WG

This class is mixed level, allowing beginners to work alongside advanced students. It starts on Tuesday, 14 October and runs for 8 weeks till Tuesday, 2 December, 5.30pm - 8pm.
Our popular weeknight classes are the best way for beginners to get into jewellery making in a lively, warm and friendly environment.
Beginners start with basic ring-making and stone-setting in copper or brass. Students will learn measuring, texturing, shaping, cutting and soldering. Then we move on to making a practice-ring set with a Cabochon stone (cabochon means it has a flat bottom and a smooth domed top) in a Bezel Setting. The stone-setting process teaches you many fundamental techniques in one project! As you work through your practice-ring and setting, you can move onto working in silver and produce another ring with a cabachon stone that you really love. This way you will learn the basics as you go on your practice-ring, before taking the next step in costly silver.
Level 2 students learn to solder more competently on their own using chainmaking as a way to develop their fine soldering skills. They may create a simple stone setting or ring alongside this challenge project so they have something to hone their skills that they are familiar with, as well as taking on a new skill. Their silver project could be a pendant on a handmade chain, a charm bracelet or a more complex bezel setting - for example a teardrop or soft square stone to take on bezels with corners!
Level 3 and above students are encouraged to work on their design skills and try new and challenging techniques. They should prepare to have one or two simple projects they can work on self-directed in class: more chains or simple bezel settings are ideal - to help them strengthen their soldering skills - alongside a challenge project that might be a shelf setting (an adaptation of a bezel setting that can take faceted stones), a tube setting or a larger bezel setting for a box or brooch. Our tutors will work with you to discover your passions in the world of making, and to support your skills so you grow your understanding with each block you take. We recommend that students from level 3 and up take the occasional Technique class (for example - claw setting, enamelling, flush setting) and then bring those techniques into their projects in their block class to be supported in their practice and skill by their regular tutor.
This class fee does NOT include materials for any student.
Beginners should expect to spend at least $60 on materials for their ring making project.
All metals and stones as well as quality findings and chains are available for purchase each week in the studio. Students are encouraged to keep their silver scrap and find ways to use it thriftily in future projects!
Course fee $395, Early bird $355 till 21 September.
Our booking system asks for payment to be made via credit card, Afterpay or PayPal on booking. If you do not have access to these payment methods or need to pay your course fee over time please email us to arrange this ;)