Jewellery Making - Faceted Gemstone Settings

Evolve and advance your jewellery making with beautiful faceted stone setting methods! Create jewellery embedded with precious glittering gems in copper, brass and silver - beginners welcome! All material costs included in the course fee.

Description
In this challenging and exciting workshop students will learn to set glimmering round-cut faceted gemstones into brass, copper and/or silver. Create a stone set jewellery project from a choice of simple earrings, a pendant, or a ring.

Students who have already done a Lost Wax Cast Rings class may bring their cast rings and try their hand at setting stones in those instead of starting a new project.

Students will learn ‘Flush Setting’, a method of embedding gems into the surface of metal without the need for solder or joins. The process is adaptable to a number of jewellery types and styles. Students with prior Flush Setting and soldering experience may advance to other methods and to try their hand at learning ‘Bead Setting’, or a simple form of ‘Prong Setting’.

Students may choose from lab-created Sapphires, Rubies and other high strength stones such as Cubic Zirconia in a range of colours.

The workshop is especially satisfying for the magpie in all of us, adding extra colour and shine to jewellery making.

While both beginners and returning students are welcome in the class, be aware that the tools and techniques require a level of fine motor skills, keen eye for detail, and strong hand control which take some patience, practice and perseverance to get the best results.

Our magnifying headsets, work clamps, and patient tutor will help you along the way.

Please wear closed-in footwear suitable for a workshop environment. bring a work apron if you have one or wear clothes you don’t mind getting a little grubby. Remember to bring your reading glasses if you have them.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

Develop jewellery making skills with introductory faceted stone setting methods

Create a simple stone set project - either earrings, a pendant, or a ring.

Use Vernier Calipers to measure and calculate metal dimensions

Use files to shape brass, copper and/or silver components

Use a soldering torch to attach metal components such as jump rings

File, sand and polish brass, copper and/or silver creations into finished jewellery

Note: Courses need a minimum number to go ahead so if we don't have enough enrolments a few days before the start date, we have to cancel. We'll let you know by email so please check yours regularly. If you need to cancel your registration, here are our terms and conditions: "What You Need to Know".