Jewellery Making
Precious metal clay: weekend workshop
A beginner-level workshop introducing metal clay techniques for jewellery design through demonstrations, guided practice and developing designs in polymer clay.
Choose a date before booking
Upcoming classes
1 class
About this course
The workshop introduces metal clay as a jewellery-making material, combining tutor demonstrations with practical work, guidance and discussion. Participants first develop and refine ideas by designing pieces in polymer clay, then apply techniques including rolling, texturing, wrapping, piercing, firing, polishing and patination to metal clay. The course also covers making simple stamping tools and polymer-clay moulds, alongside considerations for designing jewellery with metal clay.
What you'll learn
- Identify the properties of different types of metal clay and how to handle them
- Apply techniques for rolling, piercing, texturing and wrapping metal clay
- Fire a metal clay piece using a hand torch
- Create colour and surface effects with patina
- Sand and polish a metal clay piece
- Evaluate design approaches suitable for metal clay jewellery
Is this course right for you?
The course is intended for complete novices, experienced jewellers, bead makers and clay artists. The beginner level indicates an introduction to the subject, while the content can also be applied by those developing existing jewellery-making practice. Participants should be able to follow written and verbal instructions, demonstrations and health and safety guidance, take part in group discussions, and carry out simple measurements and calculations.
- Suitable for complete novices as well as experienced jewellers
- Requires participation in group discussions
- Requires the ability to follow written, verbal and health and safety instructions
- Simple measurements and calculations are part of the course
Before you go
- General tools and equipment, polymer clay for practice pieces, copper clay and metal clay slip are supplied.
- Participants should bring an apron, an empty film case or clean pill bottle, plastic-coated playing cards, a notebook and pencils, and cheap fine-tipped paintbrushes.
- Optional items include clay shapers, badger balm, small cookie cutters and textured materials such as leaf skeletons, lace or textured wallpaper.