Jewellery: Beginners and Intermediate, Monday Afternoon

This is a practical class and you will be learning to make pieces of jewellery to develop, or build on your skills. You will learn to work confidently with metals and other materials. As a beginner, you will start with a series of basic, practical projects designed to encourage the familiarity with the tools, materials and processes most frequently used in the workshop. As a returning or intermediate student, you will be set a new design project each term, usually related to a specialist technique, as well as pursuing your own personal projects. You will learn through group demonstrations and individual, one-to-one help and guidance, with technical and critical advice depending on your needs. The tutor will give demonstrations, presentations and lead group discussions around technical and creative subjects. You will work at your own pace, negotiating individual learning goals with your tutor, and record and assess these on Learning Statements.

The jewellery studio is on the 3rd floor of the main building, there is lift access. You need a moderate level of fitness to be able to use jewellery equipment. Please let the tutor know if you are pregnant and they will advise you as to necessary precautions.

The college provides all of the tools necessary to take part in the course and basic materials in reasonable quantities, such as base metals, paper, acrylic etc. Students will be expected to buy some materials for their projects (e.g. silver, saw blades). A comprehensive list of these and suppliers will be provided during the first lesson. Please wear sensible shoes and bring an apron. A note book, pen and pencil for technical notes and design ideas is strongly recommended. New students with previous experience should bring an example of their work.

This is an open-ended course where different techniques are covered each term and you are encouraged to continue with the same tutor in order to develop your jewellery making skills and individual style. Experience gained on the course will be beneficial if you are interested in applying for higher education courses in the visual/applied arts or a qualification in Jewellery Design such as an NVQ, HND or BA. Experience and enthusiasm could lead to the student setting up their own workshop as a designer/maker.