Take your jewellery design and jewellery making skills to a professional level with the Flux Advanced Certificate in Jewellery.
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– Do you already have a good range of jewellery making skills Do you want to take a more professional approach to your jewellery practice? If so, the Flux one year, part time Advanced Certificate in Jewellery is for you. On this one year jewellery course we present a rich and varied programme of study to further enrich your jewellery practice. We put the focus firmly on your personal development, and you’ll be assigned a tutor at the start of the programme. This connection provides us all with a clear avenue for communication. It also ensures that you get the very best experience of learning during your time here.
We have put together a combination of weekend and evening study which we feel are especially relevant to your needs. The core of your learning is delivered through the Tuesday evening sessions that run through the academic year. Additionally these classes provide you with regular weekly contact with your tutor. Then to complement your skills we have selected a series of short specialist courses. Here we introduce new techniques to further enrich your skills development.
How will my learning be structured?
Between September and July you will have attended three 10 week evening courses and 4 specialist weekend courses. Additionally, across the year you will have 3 enriching personal development days with your tutor.You’ll spend an additional weekend at Flux for your exhibition and in total this amounts to more than 180 hours of workshop time. With a maximum ratio of 1 tutor to 6 students this means we can provide the input you need to keep developing to the highest level. To gain the Flux Advanced Certificate in Jewellery you will need to attend all sessions. (flexibility around dates can be arranged but please discuss this with us in advance). You can see the full timetable at the bottom of this page.
What will I learn?
By the end of this course you will have expanded your knowledge and technical skills to raise your jewellery activities to a professional level. We aim to invigorate every aspect of your practice, with focus given to creative development, technical know-how and business skills too.
As we have a strong interest in your creative development, the projects we set always begin with the experimental. We want to you break through and above the conventional, and thus produce work with originality and flair.
At this level we need to consider production methods and pricing strategies alongside creative ideas and we will support these elements through assignments, project work and study days.
Which techniques will I explore?
Stone setting – we present opportunities for you to explore all aspects of setting. From fine jewellery setting techniques (bead, pave, claw) to the more experimental (wax, delft, mixed techs), which suits you? Experiment too with encapsulation to ‘set’ other materials and objects into your jewellery.
Gemmology – Learn the basics of pearl grading, and then try your hand at knotting to create a string of pearls. Learn how to distinguish gemstones using high and low tech methods. In addition, you will learn about the various working properties of a range of stones. This knowledge is invaluable when considering setting styles for specific stones. Furthermore- and as an added bonus, you will make a tension set ring using a semi-precious stone.
Cold Connections – we explore how to attach metal and other elements together. Especially relevant techniques include encapsulation, riveting, screws and tabs.
Forming – Try a range of forming techniques to give lightweight volume, meanwhile creating hollow forms. How else can you take advantage of these design possibilities? You will explore small scale raising techniques, as well as scoring and fold forming.
Casting and related processes – we examine a range of approaches to creating solid 3D form, especially in relation to stone setting. Learn how to prepare a wax model for stone setting, and try your hand at studio casting methods to encapsulate stones.
Decorative techniques – you’ll get to experiment with etching techniques for jewellery, and hand engraving. Explore which of these best suits your making approach. Additionally, you will experiment with small scale resin work and other methods of encapsulation.
Creative design – designing is of course integral to your project work. Additionally, we structure the Personal Development days to further support your jewellery design skills. On these occasions you will work with your tutor to develop a collection or series of collections that meet a specific brief.
Business skills – Who are you making your jewellery for? We present ways to explore audiences and find your niche market. Once identified, we look at production techniques and strategies for pricing and marketing your work.
What will I produce for the Flux Advanced Certificate in Jewellery?
Physical objects – Since your creative spirit knows no bounds we cannot precisely say what you will make during your year here, but we can suggest you will produce at least: a pendant, ring and earrings that explore stone settings, a small, formed vessel in copper or silver, and a ring or brooch that encapsulates some precious item. You will also have made a string of pearls, a tension set ring (or two), engraving plates and an etched pendants or a bangle.
Sketchbook work, and notes – You will produce at least one sketchbook over the year. In your sketchbook you will record ideas, technical problem solving, sources of inspiration, drawing and sketching exercises and design work. You may like to keep technical notes in your sketchbook too – or if you prefer you may have a separate notebook for these.
Treasury of samples – We find that people best learn through experience, so all your courses begin with experimentation. These experiments and tests form the basis of your own, personal reference treasury – a visual, tactile library of materials and techniques that you can use to develop future jewellery projects. How is this useful? Those periods of experimentation are aways followed by a project with a brief. In your project work your designs will be infused with influences from your tests, also within the context of a brief.
An exhibition – At the end of the year, as part of your final assessment, you will present a selection of all of these outputs for exhibition. This normally exhibition normally falls in mid June, as part of Camberwell Arts Festival.
What do I gain?
In addition to all of the products listed above, you will be presented with the Flux Advanced Certificate in Jewellery. The certificate includes credits and evaluations for each module of learning that you have completed. These can be used to support the physical evidence of the skills you have implemented in your project work.
What next?
Take flight! On completion of the Flux Advanced Certificate in Jewellery you are ready to place yourself in that niche you found. Take steps to find a studio and become self employed, or use your skills to work for an established jeweller. Consider applying for membership at Flux.
Course Fees
The fee for the Flux One Year Advanced Certificate in Jewellery is £2850. You can pay in instalments too:
- One payment of £2850
- 2 instalments of £1440 (Course fee total£2880. additional cost to cover admin)
- 3 instalments of £980 (Course fee total £2940. additional cost to cover admin)
If there are any aspects of this course you’d like to discuss you can Email us
Ready to leap into your future?
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Course Tutor: Vicky Forrester
Max Student numbers: 5
Dates: 19 September 2017 – June 26 2018
Class Times: Evenings, Weekends
Term 1
- Experimental stone setting techniques – wax delft and claw – Tuesday evenings 19 Sep – 21 Nov 2017, 10 meetings 6pm – 9.15pm
- Perfect Pearls – pearl grading and stringing Sun 17 Dec 2017, 10am – 5pm daily
- Saturday personal development day – accent on design (Autumn term, we’ll agree a date with you) 10am – 4pm
Term 2
- Explore metal manipulation techniques; make a small vessel in silver – Tuesday evenings 16 Jan – 20 March 2018, 10 meetings 6pm – 9.15pm
- Decorative hand engraving Weekend – 24/25 March 2018, 10am – 5pm daily
- Plush Pinks and Radiant Reds – Sat 3 Feb 2018, 10am – 5pm daily
- Crystal Whites and Bright Clear Pastels (CC2) – gemmology – Sun 4 Feb 2018, 10am – 5pm daily
- Saturday personal development day / 2 – accent on design (Easter break – we’ll agree a date with you) 10am – 4pm
Term 3
- Encapsulating techniques for jewellery: watch lenses and related cold connections – Tuesday evenings 17 April – 26 June 2018, 10 meetings 6pm – 9.15pm
- Etching techniques for jewellery – Weekend 19/20 May 2018, 10am – 5pm daily
- Advanced Jewellery Making – Bead Setting and Pave -Weekend 2/3 June 2018, 10am – 5pm daily
- Saturday personal development day / 3 – accent on business studies (Summer term, we’ll agree a date with you) 10am – 4pm
- Exhibition of work and participation in the Creative Urges weekend (to coincide with Camberwell Arts Week) 10am – 4pm