Enamelling workshop: Making Earrings 

Weekend workshop 

10.00 to 4.30

£240

 

Tutor

Your tutor is Caroline Finlay who has many years experience as a practicing enameller and jeweller as well as teaching enamelling and jewellery techniques and design for over 20 years.         

 

Who is this course for?

This course is suitable for beginners and those with enamelling experience who are interested in exploring contemporary enamelling techniques with an emphasis on texture, pattern and mark making.

No jewellery making skills are necessary but some knowledge will mean you can attempt more intricate pieces.   

 

What will you learn?

Vitreous Enamelling is exciting and challenging and in this two day course you will

explore various techniques that create colourful, textural results such as Stencilling, Sgraffito and Basse-taille.

We'll work with sifting and wet enamels and other media such as gold leaf and enamel threads and finishing techniques such as glossy and matt enamel.

Jewellery making techniques such as saw piercing, filing, embossing with the rolling mill, hammers and punches, drilling, soldering, forming and making earwires will be covered and you can work on ideas for stud earrings and drop earrings. 

There will be opportunities to make more than one pair of earrings over the weekend and you will be encouraged to explore unusual and unique designs of your own.

​

What is included?

All materials except silver for final pieces - this will cost an additional £10 minimum depending on amount required.

Refreshments but not lunch.

Enamel will be fired in a kiln that reaches around 850 degrees centigrade and all health and safety and personal protective equipment will be provided, although you can bring your own apron.

You will be expected to wear a dust mask when sieving enamels.

Caroline will provide more detailed information on directions, what to bring, lunch, where to stay etc. after booking.

 

Preparation                                                                                                                            

You can bring inspirational examples of colours, texture, patterns and marks that

you may wish to develop. These could be photographs, found items, drawings etc

that can provide a starting point. Alternatively Caroline will have sources of inspiration in the studio or you can work spontaneously.

Bring an apron if you have one.

Bring a notebook or sketchbook

Please wear shoes that cover your feet.

 

Day One will focus on producing samples on copper and silver. You will use opaque enamels for Stencilling and Sgraffito techniques where more than one colour will be used to create patterns and surface marks.

Working on both copper and silver, you will create textured surfaces on the metal that can be seen through layers of transparent enamel and explore various enamelling media.

​

In the second day you will develop your samples into a pair of enamelled earrings of your own unique design. If you have no jewellery making experience your piece will have a simple fitting e.g. drop earrings with hook fitting. If you have experience of jewellery making and soldering you can make a more complex piece with soldered fittings.

All designs will be discussed with Caroline to ensure that you will have sufficient time to finish them.

​