Intermediate Silver and Setting Shaped Cabochons

Take your silver jewellery skills up a level learning to make spinner rings, domed pieces and set beautiful shaped cabochon stones

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This two course bundle covers intermediate level silver jewellery making skills including how to set irregular shaped cabochon stones, how to make spinner rings and more!


Two courses in one!

Are you ready to further your skills in silver jewellery making? This intermediate level course has been designed based on feedback from learners ready to take their skills to the next level. We have been asked for stone setting courses that cover how to set irregular shaped cabochons as well as more advanced silver skills like making a spinner ring.

In this two course bundle, first learn to make spinner rings and domed silver earrings, charms or pendants in the intermediate silver jewellery class with Michelle Leaver.

Then develop your stone setting skills to set beautiful shaped cabochon stones such as teardrops/ pear shaped, squares, rectangles and more in the stone setting course with Hayley Kruger.

These two go perfectly together as a way to improve your silver jewellery techniques as well as learning how to add gemstones to your silver work.

Here are some examples of the beautiful designs you could make:


Please note, this is an intermediate level class and we recommend you take the Silver Jewellery Workshop and the Soldering Masterclass courses before completing these projects.

To make the spinner ring you need to have prior experience of soldering a silver ring. This project can be found in the Silver Jewellery Workshop.

Techniques covered include:

  • Developing your bench-skills of sawing, soldering, filing and polishing
  • Doming silver using a doming punch set
  • Creating custom-fit bezel settings for teardrop and rectangle stones
  • Making partial bezel settings for irregular stone shapes
  • Setting the gemstone by hand
  • Plus Michelle and Hayley's invaluable tips and troubleshooting


YOUR INSTRUCTORS:

MICHELLE LEAVER

Michelle Leaver is a professional Jeweller who has successfully run her own business designing and making jewellery for over 25 years. She studied design at the London College of Fashion before specialising in Silversmithing and Enamelling at the London Guildhall University (now known as the London Metropolitan and formally known as Sir John Cass.)

She specalises in silversmithing, enamel and jewellery business support and is a regular and popular teacher at the London Jewellery School.

Hayley Kruger

Hayley is a bench jeweller with over 20 years of experience. She runs her own company making and selling high-end bespoke jewellery.

She has taught at the London Jewellery School for 8 years and also teaches workshops from her own studio. Having been a mentor on the London Jewellery School Diploma for a number of years she is experienced at working with students and has a great capacity to support them on their journey to professional silver and gold jewellery making.

What I do

My main focus now is dividing my time between creating bespoke and commissioned pieces for private clients, as well as consulting small jewellery business on ranges, design and production. And of course I love being a tutor for Jewellers Academy and various other organisations and community groups.

My biggest achievement so far

Believing in myself and pushing myself to learn and grow even when the hurdles seem so high. As a result I was invited to show my work at the Victoria & Albert Museum, I have been published in Vogue, Stylist and Marie Claire to name a few. And I was invited to be an ambassador for Triumph Lingerie's Women in Making campaigns 2013 and 2014.

I am inspired by

Colour is my main source of inspiration, and no matter how hard I try to use muted colours, a flash of bright fuchsia or some tropical hue always seems to find is way into my work. Recently I have found myself drawn back to my roots by being drawn to traditional techniques and skills.

Course Curriculum


  Intermediate Silver and Setting Shaped Stones
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Intermediate Silver Jewellery with Michelle Leaver
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Stone Setting: Shaped Cabochons with Hayley Kruger
Available in days
days after you enroll

Tools and Materials for this course

Tools

  • Templates/stencils (round)
  • Scriber
  • Piercing saw
  • Saw blade - 2.0 or 3.0
  • Benchpeg
  • Beeswax
  • Texturing hammer e.g. ball pein hammer
  • Steel block for hammering
  • Flat metal file
  • Emery stick
  • Jewellers butane torch
  • Firing brick
  • Water to quench
  • Pickle
  • Hand drill or bow drill and drill bit around 1.1 or 1.2mm
  • Heavy hammer
  • Doming block and punch
  • Round nosed pliers
  • Flux e.g. borax
  • Flux paint brush
  • Ring mandrel
  • Snips for cutting solder
  • Hard solder
  • Tweezers
  • Wire cutters
  • Pliers set - flat, round, D-shaped and chain nosed pliers
  • Rawhide or nylon hammer

Tools for stone setting

  • Caliper/vernier gauge
  • Cutters/snips
  • Parallel pliers
  • Burnisher (Hayley used a curved steel burnisher)
  • Square pusher
  • Dopping stick or beeswax

Materials

Silver Project 1: Domed silver earrings

  • 1mm silver sheet
  • Earring hooks (0.8mm wire)

Silver Project 2: Spinner ring

  • 1-2mm thick sterling silver wire (can be round, half round or square)
  • 0.7mm thick sterling silver sheet

Stone Setting Projects

  • Fine silver bezel strip either 3mm or 5mm (depending on the height of your stone)
  • Sterling silver sheet 0.7mm thick (or your choice of thickness)
  • Selection of shaped Cabochon stones

Suppliers

A list of worldwide suppliers of tools and materials can be found here


Rings by student Sandi Coryell


Left to right: Rosie Edridge and Kirsy Hambridge


Left to right: Rosie Edridge and Hayley Small

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