List of Jewellery Making Courses in England

There are dozens of jewellery making courses in England, but it can take many hours/days and even weeks of work to track them down and find one that suits your needs. The list of jewellery maker workshops and courses below will give you a head start.

The list of jewellery making courses below are the many silversmithing courses that I've found that will teach you to make your own silver and copper jewellery from scratch. These jewellery making courses are daytime courses of at least one day's duration. If you want evening classes then local Colleges and Universities might offer a course you can attend across a year, but my quest was focussed on being able to attend courses in making jewellery that lasted from one day to one week.

I hope you find the list useful, if you know of any jewellery making course in your area that are not listed, then leave a comment and they can be added.

Most jewellery making courses are run by silversmiths, in their own studios. There are also a few organisations that arrange a variety of courses, one of which is making silver jewellery - and there are a few week long summer schools available.

If you want to make jewellery, then dedicating whole days to the activity are the best way to do this as the process can take some time and with a day, or a week long course, you're not continually breaking off and packing up!

If you're a regular watcher of the JewelleryMaker TV channel, then you might have spotted that they regularly run jewellery maker workshops in a variety of jewellery techniques for beginners through to advanced techniques.

Based in Redditch, Worcestershire, the prices are £65-110, depending on which course you do. At the time of writing, they had jewellery making workshops in: Beading, Chain Maille, Copper Clay, Polymer Clay, Silver Clay and Wirework. Their silver clay courses, at £110, are the most expensive, but this does include 20 grams of silver clay to use.

Not everybody can attend a jewellery making course, this might be due to distance, spare time available, or 101 other reasons. But there are alternatives, good alternatives, available online these days.

One online jewellery course that offers a good learning experience, interaction, videos and solid professional help and advice is offered by Andrew Berry.

With an online jewellery course, you can learn techniques in your own time, from home - and not all jewellery making requires much (if any) equipment. Work at your own pace, picking and choosing what you're interested in and adding skills and tools as and when you choose.

Putting it simply, Andrew Berry, At the Bench, is an online quality and affordable video jewellery training site for anyone interested in learning to make jewellery, from a beginner right through to a professional level. The site streams videos showing professional jeweller Andrew Berry and other industry-leading craftsmen teaching their trade in downloadable ‘chunks’ with clear step by step instructions and advice given at every stage of the way.

At the Bench is aimed at both the amateur and professional jeweller alike and is structured into ‘bite-size’ learning films of around 10 minutes each in length.

Andrew Berry is based in Mid Glamorgan, South Wales, his comprehensive online jewellery course is available from just £99/year,or £12.99/month, without any ongoing commitment and no catches. This is one of the most affordable jewellery courses available and makes a great secondary resource if you're doing evening classes, 1-day workshops or are studying for an exam in jewellery making.

Most jewellery making courses actual mean silversmithing courses - and when you attend you'll usually find you're working in copper to produce your item as it's cheaper than silver. Silver is available if you wish to use it from the start, but it's always good to make a test piece in copper first, then to re-create it in silver for the end result.

Jewellery making tools will all be provided for you to use on a course - and you'll be able to buy the silver you need from the tutor at good prices and in the very small quantities you need.

In my experience, it's a good idea to have in mind 2-3 pieces of jewellery you want to make and to take your own silver as I have known some tutors to almost be hesitant in selling the silver to you! I think this is because they are used to the prices of the last 20 years and as silver's now gone up in price they perceive it to be very expensive; as a new person to making jewellery you'll only know "today's prices" so won't have the same feeling that prices are high. In fact, silver is, in my opinion, very affordable per inch or per cm.

Every year a week long summer school in making jewellery and silversmithing is run by Missenden Abbey. Courses are either residential, or non-residential. Starting on a Sunday lunchtime and finishing on Friday lunchtime you're immersed for a full week in the process of making jewellery in silver and copper.

Type of jewellery making courses: Week long Summer School (Sunday to Friday)

Price ranges: £200-300

Website: http://missendenabbey-al.co.uk/arca/index.php?option=com_courses&Itemid=75 (courses show up on the website early each year)

The tutor for this course is usually Stephen O'Keeffe - and this offers an almost unique opportunity as Stephen O'Keeffe has many years' experience and has authored many respected books on making jewellery easily. At the course, you have the unique opportunity of not only being taught by an author of a book you can buy, but he also brings a case containing every piece of jewellery made in his latest book, so you can hold the piece in your hand, then make it, with Stephen there to help and advise on every aspect.

I've attended this course and got a lot out of it. As it's a week long course, there were 2-3 students who had flown in from across Europe to attend the course.

My advice for this one is to buy Stephen O'Keeffe's book ahead of the course and go through it to see what you might like to make during your week. The more prepared you are, the more you'll be able to make, rather than being full of indecision like I was :)

This was a great course and a fantastic group of students. There was a good atmosphere and plenty of room and light in which to work.

Various one-day courses in making specific items of jewellery are run occasionally at the Mill House. A typical short course might be "Silver Earrings in a Day", which is one course running in February 2012 for just £35.

Type of jewellery making courses: One day.

Price ranges: £40-50 + materials

Website: https://www.themillartscentre.co.uk

The Mill Arts Centre short courses in making jewellery and silversmithing courses are organised by the tutors themselves. If you're looking for a fun day out where you'll learn how to make one specific type of jewellery, they're well worth checking out.

A typical course cost might be (2016 prices): One day (10.30-5pm) to make silver stacking bangles (sawing, forming, soldering and finishing, you will create a beautiful set of silver bangles to take away).. £42 for the course, £30-35 for materials.

Oxford Summer School runs a 5-day or 6-day silversmithing/jewellery making course each summer in July and a shorter jewellery making course over a weekend in March.

Type of jewellery making courses: Summer School, 5 or 6 days. Weekend courses 2 days.

Price ranges: £195 for 5 days; £210 for 6-days.

Website: http://www.oxfordsummerschool.com

These courses are not residential, but you can make your own accommodation bookings locally.

Type of jewellery making courses: Daytime classes.

Price ranges: £186 for six day classes, run on Mon-Wed.

Website: http://www.richard-whitehouse.co.uk

Jewellery Making Courses are run on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. A course will typically last for six weeks and you'd choose which day you'd like. Daytime courses are 10:20am to 4pm, with an hour for lunch, so that's 4.5 hours/class.

As these classes are a series of six days, this is better suited to those with a local connection as the six days aren't consecutive.

The WI run 4-day jewellery making courses at Denman College. These are residential or non-residential. These jewellery making courses are run 4-5 times a year, so thre's plenty of opportunity for you to plan ahead and maybe book a jewellery making course as one of your annual holidays! That's what I do.

They also run one day courses.

Type of jewellery making courses: 4-day Residential

Price range: £150 for 1-day courses. £228-£475 for 4-day Residential courses. Choice of residential and non-residential, with discounts for WI members. Prices do vary across the courses slightly.

Website: http://www.denmancollege.org.uk/

Whitehouse Arts closed in July 2015.

They used to run two-day, weekend courses a few times each year. Described as "Weekend of Beginner Jewellery and Small Scale Silversmithing with Simon Rees" the courses covered basic jewellery techniques, soldering, forming, cutting and shaping. Over the two days they taught how to complete pieces of jewellery or silversmithing using newly learnt skills. Students moved at the speed that suits them.

Type of jewellery making courses: Weekend, 2-day, courses in jewellery making

Price range: £110

Urchfont Manor Closed down in 2013 and was sold off. Opening in 1947 it had been one of the first residential course centres owned and operated by a Local Authority.

They ran 2-day silversmithing and jewellery making courses several times a year, usually tutored by Pauline Payne, a local silversmith.

Type of jewellery making courses: 2-day course

Price range: £159-229

Courses would usually start with lunch on Wednesday and finish with lunch on Friday..

Running occasional Saturday, 1-day courses in jewellery making and silversmithing, these are a great introduction to making jewellery and silversmithing, to see if you enjoy it. Meon Valley Studio is run by award-winning professional silversmith Olivia Lowe MA(RCA).

Type of jewellery making courses: Saturday, 1-day, jewellery making courses

Price: £75

Website: http://www.meonvalleystudio.com/courses.php

These jewellery making courses run from 10am to 4pm.Ideal as the perfect introduction to jewellery making and silversmithing! Learn some new skills in making silver jewellery or improve on those skills you already possess at this session. You can take advantage of a set project brief or work with project ideas that you might already have. Whichever route you take a tutor will be available to guide and advise, helping you achieve your goal.

This is a short, 2 hour, course that just covers how to make a pair of sterling silver earrings. From forging your own ear wires, through to wire wrapping a gemstone and finishing off a great piece of jewellery to take away.

Type of jewellery making courses: 2 hours

Price:: £45 + VAT

Website: http://sussexjewelleryschool.com

This short course takes you through making your own earrings. You'll learn how to forge your own bespoke sterling silver earwires by cutting, shaping, filing and hammering sterling silver; how to choose and successfully wire-wrap real gemstone briolettes; how to attach your briolettes to earwires; (if time allows) how to give your earrings an 'antiqued' patina for maximum contrast with paler-coloured gemstones.

By the end of the session, you will have made a pair of sterling silver and semi-precious gemstone drop earrings to take away.

Jessica Noonan runs occasional silversmithing and jewellery making courses from the BEANS Coffee Shop. Typically these are 1-day courses, at weekends, focussing on creating one sterling silver piece of jewellery for you to take away.

Type of jewellery making courses: 1-day, making specific items

Price: £45

Website: http://www.beanscoffeeshopgallery.co.uk/wp/courses/

In these one day workshops, at weekends, you're able to make a sterling silver piece of jewellery under the guidance of Jessica Noonan. Sterling silver workshops held have included:

• Making a sterling silver bangle
• Full day workshop "silver rings"

Angela Kennedy delivers a selection of silversmithing and jewellery making workshops at a couple of venues in Cheshire, one at Sandbach and one at Ledsham, South Wirral.

Type of jewellery making courses: 1 day courses, Saturdays

Price: £110-125

Website: http://www.arkcontemporarydesigns.co.uk

Each Workshop runs from 10am to 4pm/5pm and focusses on creating one piece of jewellery, or perfecting one technique. Go to one workshop, mix and match, or attend them all. Typical silversmithing workshops have included:

• Rings and Things: Students will study various designs using sterling silver in sheet and wire form and will produce 3 rings of their own design during the course of the day.
• Shape and Form: learn how to produce different textures using various tools such as hammers, punches and stamps. You will learn reticulation and granulation techniques too to create at least two pieces of silver jewellery. You will also learn basic techniques such as soldering, filing, drilling, sawing and polishing.
• Stone setting day: This course is for students with some basic jewellery making skills but beginners are very welcome. It is anticipated that students will take home 2 completed items of jewellery.

Annette Petch runs 1-day Jewellery Making Workshops on Saturdays. These courses are limited to just a few students so you get the individual attention you need.

Type of jewellery making courses: 1-day, on Saturdays

Price: £90

Website: http://www.annettepetchjewellery.co.uk

Learn traditional silversmithing techniques.