Putting on the glitz

Jonathan Manning creates some special gifts at a jewellery-making workshop

A torch is used to soften the metal

Rewind to the weekend before Valentine’s Day, and the looming sense of peril in the mind of many a partner. It’s too late to book a table at your favourite local restaurant, so do you gamble on somewhere new, or ransack a celebrity cookery book for a recipe that’s easy to prepare, but looks sophisticated on the plate? And will it be chocolates and prosecco, or a dozen red roses that for one day a year are more expensive than platinum?

Well, here’s an idea for next year. Book a course at a jewellery workshop and make a ring, bangle, pendant or earrings with the most precious ingredient of all – love.

This is how I find myself in a small, whitewashed studio in Leicester on a workshop for anyone interested in learning the basics of jewellery-making, and leaving with a treasured item or two for themselves or a loved one.

Leading the day is Linda Sandeman, who has been selling her jewellery for 20 years, and teaching the fine art of making it for a decade. A selection of her work is on display in the centre of the studio, ranging from intricately patterned rings, coiled like serpents, to beautifully imprinted bracelets, alongside pendants and earrings with the delicate impressions of feathers and leaves.

Aiming high

Linda at work in her studio

“So, what would you like to make?” asks Linda, making it clear that the array of jewellery before us is within our capabilities. I hadn’t anticipated producing anything that looked quite so professional. Until now, much of my crafting experience has been large-scale, such as bird boxes and wicker reindeer. They’re rather forgiving of the odd bumpy edge or imperfect corner, but jewellery demands the finest detail and a flawless finish. It’s time to put on my glasses.

My fellow student is a florist called Clare, who tries on a few of the pieces before settling on a pair of copper earrings and a silver bangle, both of which she is planning to make for herself. The copper is included in the price of the course, but the recycled sterling silver costs extra.

I decide to make a copper bangle on the grounds that, even if it ends up looking like the neck of Frankenstein’s monster, it might still have a practical use warding off arthritis. Unfortunately, supplies of the requisite copper have run out, so I switch plans to make a spiral copper ring, followed by a pair of silver pendants. It’s a cunning approach – the ring will give me an opportunity to practise, and provide something to show off when I get back to my wife, allowing me to keep the powder dry on the pendants for Valentine’s Day.

Taking shape

Examples of patterns used to decorate metal

The patterns on our designs will come from an array of templates laid out on a tray. There’s a filigree leaf, ribbons of different textures, strips of gauze, and a smorgasbord of laser-cut cardboard shapes.

One pattern in particular stands out, with its mix of sun and swirls, but first I have to guillotine a strip of copper and soften it. This involves a blast with a blowtorch until it glows in a kaleidoscope of autumn colours, then a dunk in cold water, followed by a ‘safety pickle’ bath to restore the colour. Every craft has unique names for its tools and techniques, and safety pickle has to be one of the best.

Copper prepared, I carefully position a strip of patterned card over the top, and press them together through a rolling mill. It looks like a miniature version of a laundry mangle and exerts phenomenal pressure on the metal.

When the copper emerges, thinner and flatter, the pattern is clearly embossed, at which point the fine tuning begins. Powerful snippers cut the strip, narrower at one end than another, before, under the watchful guidance of Linda, I file and bevel the edges until they’re flawlessly smooth. From here, it’s relatively straightforward to coil the copper strip around a long mandrel, tapping the ends with a mallet for a flush finish, before sliding off the perfectly formed ring.

Photo finish

The finished gifts

Various finishes are available, from shiny gloss to matt, but I decide on oxidised, which will darken the detail in the grooves and swirls to make the pattern stand out. A watercolour brush daubs the oxidisation solution onto the copper, before I gently rub a special abrasive block over the surface of the ring to shine the top while leaving the oxidised surfaces untouched. Once finished, the gleaming ring wouldn’t look too out of place at a craft fair.

Techniques familiarised if not perfected, I turn my attention to a 30mm square of sterling silver. The first step is to cut the square into two rectangles, before I choose a pair of different laser-cut cards to overlay, one of a single rose, the other of small, climbing flowers. This time, the imprint from the rolling mill is deep and pinpoint clear, filling me with excitement as I round off the corners and polish the edges with files of ever finer grade.

When the oxidisation solution is applied, the pattern leaps out with dramatic effect, and it’s a joy to see the finished item emerge from the abrasion and polishing cloth.

Linda punches a tiny hole in each pendant and fixes a silver chain, before a jet-black box provides the perfect display case for a Valentine’s gift made with love.

Information

A half-day workshop with Linda Sandeman at her Leicestershire studio costs £55 (plus extra for silver). 

Info: lindasandemanjewellery.co.uk

Stay: Stamford Club Campsite

Three more jewellery courses

Hove Jewellery Works, Hove, East Sussex

Learn how to make three textured stacking rings from recycled silver in this three-hour class (£75) that’s ideal for beginners.

Info: hovejewelleryworks.com

Stay: Brighton Club Campsite

Dandelion Silver, Matlock, Derbyshire

Spend a full day at this workshop for up to four people (£90 each), which runs almost every weekend, learning techniques to make your own sterling silver jewellery.

Info: craftcourses.com

Stay: The Firs Club Campsite

Silk Mill Studios, Frome, Somerset

Join a three-hour taster workshop (£60) and learn how to cut, shape and finish your own sterling silver ring. Or perhaps you could make your own wedding rings (£300 per couple plus metals).

Info: roderickvere.com

Stay: Longleat Club Campsite