This summer's students

It's been lovely to get back to teaching this summer. And it's been lovely to have so many students! Some of the pieces that people have been working on have been fairly advanced, needing more than one session - for example making settings for faceted stones - so I can't show you photos of those yet, but I can show you these.....

Syd and Anna are a husband and wife jewellery making duo who have come out for a few tuition sessions now, and Syd has also signed up for the City and Guilds class I'm teaching at college this year. They also have fun making jewellery at Flux'n'Flame over in Dorset, and it was during the Flux'n'Flame summer school this year that Syd made the beautiful stone setting in this necklace. He finished the chain last Thursday - a combination of making loops, melting scraps of silver to make balls and forging to mirror some of the elements in the pendant - a lovely piece of work, especially considering this was the first time he had made a chain.

I had two students visit on separate days the week before. Sue visited on Tuesday, using a gift voucher that her brother had bought her for her birthday. She'd made wire and strung jewellery before and wanted to learn as many basic silversmithing techniques as possible - making a pendant from sheet and a ring from wire taught her sawing, piercing and soldering amongst others. Jane came to learn how to make Keum Boo jewellery. She made a beautifully smooth pendant and the sweetest little pair of stud earrings. I got her to melt some scrap silver as well so that she could recognise the stages that silver goes through before melting - add stud post fittings and you've got another pair of earrings!

I'll be posting new tuition dates for the rest of the year next week, and I'm trying to find a weekend date for a bangles workshop too.