Getting Creative
If you are passionate about jewellery of all different shapes and sizes. A jewelery making course is a fantastic opportunity to be creative and achieve a tangible result that you can wear and enjoy. It will also give you an insight into the micro engineering that goes into producing the glitz and glam we love.
Jewellery Design Course
The course that I attended was a 3 hour taster entitled ‘Make something for someone special, including yourself!’ and was run by Lancashire-business designed for you. The course was welcoming, inclusive and aimed at adults, both male and female. Course costs covered the supply of all tools and beads needed to make a piece of jewelery as well as general tuition and one-on-one support.
Learning Curve
Before getting stuck in with the beads and the pliers we were given some essential design information about health and safety; the pros and cons of symmetrical and or repeating designs as opposed to asymmetrical and or random designs; and where to buy further materials both locally and online.
The course leader told us that to make a really successful piece of jewelery we needed to think about some simple but key questions: who is the jewelery for?; what size does it need to be?; what individual tastes (colours, materials, lifestyle choices) do I need to take into account?
Then we were given the freedom to let rip and have fun. We were encouraged to produce as many or as few pieces (necklaces, earrings, bracelets, chokers) as we wanted in the time.
Bead Bonanza!
Although a blank space (whether a page or a beading mat) can be daunting, its absolutely amazing what comes out of your head and becomes a tangible design in front of you as soon as you’re let loose. Designed for you provided an enormous range of beads to use in terms of size and colour. There was communal absorption and sense of discovery searching through for the perfect selection of beads. We soon found that the best way to make jewelery was not to be afraid but to just start making a mock-up and by testing designs using beading mats or by stringing/restringing beads before choosing s final design.
The process of trial and error quickly taught us a lot more about jewelery design with beads. For example, small changes can make an enormous difference to colour and presentation. e.g. tiny seed beads can be use to provide a little extra space in a design, helping to prevent an appearance of cramping, overcrowding and fussiness. They can also be carefully selected according to colour and used to ‘bring out’ or emphasise other beads in your creation.
We also had an opportunity to try out jewelery making techniques for ourselves. Different techniques are used to produce different results in finished products or are used to manipulate certain materials. Because I chose to create a necklace from combinations of soft turquoise and shell beads, I learned how to mount them on a silk thread by tying a knot in the silk between each individual bead. The knotted silk prevents abrasion between the delicate beads. Using a silk thread also meant that I had to learn how to finish my piece with knot covers to conceal the terminal knots on the necklace thread.
Matching Set
Following the jewelery course, I was inspired by my original necklace creation to go on and make a pair of earrings to match. I used the design skills I had learned to create earrings that echoed the necklace without slavishly replicating the design. My jewelery set has had many outings and is much admired. Wearing it is a joyful experience, all the more satisfying for being both a unique piece, designed and made by me.
I’d recommend all jewelery fanatics and everyone in need of a little creative space to get out there and get making. A quick search of the internet will help you to find all sorts of jewelery courses specialising in different areas and techniques.
