Are you a jewellery maker looking for tips, new ideas, or to learn new techniques?

​My personal view is that - if you can - take in person classes - you can ask questions, get advice and support and work in real time, with a tutor that can watch you work and give you tips to improve, and really explore the techniques.
Of course however, we don't all get that opportunity, or if we do, we can't necessarily join a regular class for ongoing support and advice, but luckily there are other options. There are some really great jewellery making books available, and there are also many many video tutorials and information streams
​
If you've been thinking about learning to make your own jewellery - then you've almost certainly been on YouTube or Pinterest or other sites watching videos and tutorials of jewellers making different projects, or watched jewellers live streaming from their workbenches on a platform like Twitch...

These are great places to research ideas and techniques, there are huge amounts of information out there, and some fantastic teachers and makers share their skills in this way. The downside of course is that a lot of the content is edited and skips sections, not all of it is very well filmed, so it can sometimes be hard to see the key details, and as anyone / everyone can post on the internet, it can be hard to work out which channels or creators actually know much about their subject and to search out the really great ones from the rest....

My favourite YouTube channels for really good, informative and helpful jewellery making tutorials are these ones below - in no particular order...

​Do you have any you love, to add to the list?? Do add more in the comments!

• Craft Cast - https://www.youtube.com/@CraftcastwithAlisonLee
• Tracey Spurgin - https://www.youtube.com/@TraceySpurgin
• Ronda Coryell = https://www.youtube.com/@rondacoryell
• Adrienne Gaskell - https://www.youtube.com/@agkumihimo 
• Lucy Walker Jewellery - https://www.youtube.com/@LucyWalkerJewelry 
• Online Jewellery Academy - https://www.youtube.com/@OnlineJewelryAcademy 
• Off the Beaded Path - https://www.youtube.com/@offthebeadedpath
• Soham Harrison - https://www.youtube.com/@1soham1 
• Charles Lewton-Brain - https://www.youtube.com/@lewtonbrain 
• Cool Tools - https://www.youtube.com/@cooltoolsvideos 
• Rio Grande - https://www.youtube.com/@RioGrande1944 
• Interweave - https://www.youtube.com/@Interweavecraft 

Of course - I also have my own YouTube channel and I hope to be adding some more videos there soon - head to this link to have a look - https://www.youtube.com/@pitstopx 

How would you like a luxury holiday in the Devon countryside?
 
Would you like 2+ days focussed entirely on relaxing and making your own beautiful silver jewellery, working with silver clay?
 
How about both of these together??
 
I’ve joined up with the beautiful, peaceful Stoodleigh Court Coach House – a B&B in Tiverton, Devon, right on the edge of the wilds of Exmoor (but also super close to Tiverton Parkway train station, that has a direct connection to London Paddington), to organise 3 night silver clay jewellery making break.
 
This is a luxury break – with everything included – all your meals, a lovely ensuite bedroom for 3 nights, 2 full days of jewellery making tuition (plus extra optional mini sessions all 3 evenings, and on the final morning), and all the materials you’ll need (including silver and gemstones) to create at least 3 different silver jewellery projects. 

​The details; -
Where?         – Stoodleigh Court Coach House – in Tiverton, Devon
– an easy taxi ride from Tiverton Parkway station which has a direct connection to London Paddington (and plenty of other places)
– also easy reach from many major roads in the area including the M5 …
When?          – 30 Sept - 3 October 2022 or 27-30 January 2023
How much?   – from £530 per person (sharing a room) or from £635 for single occupancy – price varies by room

What will happen?
Over the course of this long weekend, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to unplug from your regular life, wind down, enjoy the countryside (or the private hot tub), read and relax…. But you’ll also have two full days of jewellery making tuition, as well as optional extra sessions in the evenings after dinner, a welcome session on the first evening, as well as a short ‘finishing up’ session on the final morning before you depart back for home
 
What will I make?
As we’ll be located in the Devon countryside, we’ll be using nature as our inspiration – creating designs based on leaves and natural objects. Each student will be able to design and make their own earrings, bracelet and necklace / pendant. More experienced students can tackle a ring project.

I thought I'd share a little 'behind the scenes' on my new jewellery collection with you...

My new Tactile Talismans collection is a series of individually made pieces, formed in porcelain clay, and then combined with silver highlights.  

All of my recent jewellery design, works around the general theme of tactility and the idea of worry beads and creating focusses for mindful contemplation, as tools for self care - and this new collection continues this - with the combination of the hand modelled clay, and silver, as well as the chains or cords involved bringing different textures into the mix and creating a mix of surfaces and tactile experiences to explore.

My specific inspiration for this collection is the innate human instinct to decorate - to carve and work objects and to carry them with us - from the very first beads, to carving decorations on early tools, as humans we have always wanted to decorate, and to add meaning and symbolism to our lives and possessions...

​I've been fascinated with this topic for many years, and for this collection, i went back to some of my books and resources, and was looking back at these early creations...

This has lead me to experimenting with clay, as a particularly tactile material, it is entirely hands on to work with - each item bears the impressions and energy from hand modelling, ensuring that as a maker i am completely connected with the process of creation, and the material. The forms of these talismans have developed from tests and experiments i made, and each is unique, having its own individual form, and personalised silver highlights.

​Each item is unique, and finished with different choices of cord, chain, bangles etc, as the piece itself determines, and these pieces will not be repeated, so if you choose your personal talisman, that particularly appeals to you - no other person will have one the same.

Handmade in Highgate - 5-7 November
The Highgate Literary and Scientific Institute, 11 South Grove, Highgate, N6 6BS
https://hand-made-in-highgate.com/ 

Made Makers - Online - 5-7 November
https://mademakers.co.uk/exhibitors/ 

Dazzle 2021 - London Pop Up - 11-14 November
The Oxo Tower, Southbank, London and www.dazzleinvites.com

Handmade Chelsea - 12-15 November
www.handmadeinbritain.co.uk/event/handmade-chelsea-the-contemporary-craft-and-design-fair/ 

Digital Craft Festival - 13-14 November
https://www.digitalcraftfestival.co.uk/ 

Handmade Chelsea - Online - 18-21 November
www.handmadeinbritain.co.uk

Do add others in the comments if you know of some exciting shows near you!

If you've been wondering about making your own jewellery, but haven't yet been sure whether it is for you or not - I'd love to encourage you to give it a go!

Of course, I'm biased - I love making jewellery, and also - more importantly, I know it is hugely valuable as a creative outlet; there are plenty of great reasons to give it a try...

Any creative hobby or pastime is proven to be a valuable therapeutic in terms of improving or safeguarding your mental health. Taking the time to have a break from the rest of your life, without worrying about whatever else may be going on in your work, life or family is incredibly valuable. The process of making something and the focus this requires, as well as working with your hands, which very few of us do much of in our lives gives our brains a real break, by using a completely different way of thinking and working... Not to mention the sense of achievement when you can proudly show off your new creations!

If you'd like to find out a little more about getting started with jewellery making - do click here to receive my free booklet with all of my top tips...