Jewellery in Resin and Acrylic Short Course
Course description
Course overview
This course will explore the difference between using cast and sheet plastics for jewellery. We will cast resin and make constructed acrylic pieces and use cold connections to make completed jewellery . These are techniques such as gluing, pegging, riveting, stapling and stitching that are used where materials would be damaged by the heat of soldering. Students use riveting to combine acrylic parts together to make earrings or a pendant and try some heat forming to make a bangle.
During the course, students saw, file and finish the plastics and look at the finishing methods used on these materials, as well as how to attach silver findings to make completed pieces of jewellery.
By the end of the 5 weeks, students will have at least 2 pieces of finished jewellery and an understanding of the different characteristics of these materials. Students may wish to progress to other jewellery short courses to continue developing the technical skills needed to bring their ideas to life.
Who this course is for
This short course is aimed at anyone interested in jewellery accessories, whether to understand the processes involved or to gain jewellery making skills. No previous experience is required but knowledge of jewellery hand tools is an advantage.
Key information
Topics covered
- Difference in working methods with cast and sheet plastic
- Range of cold connections used to attach materials that cannot be soldered
- Hand tools used to shape and finish plastics
- How to attach silver findings to plastic
- Sourcing materials and jewellers using experimental plastics
Learning outcomes
- Understand the different methods of working with cast and sheet plastics
- Cast resin into moulds with embedding optional
- Make a resin pendant or earrings
- Rivet an acrylic pendant or earrings
- Understand how to heatform acrylic
- Understand how to use the materials and workshop safely
- Digital badge and certificate of attendance
Materials
- Apron
- Notebook and pen
- Please wear closed shoes and bring something to tie back long hair
Tutor
Sarah King
Sarah King is an established jeweller specialising in mixing precious and non-precious materials in jewellery and using them to make sculptural and tactile pieces. She has sold her work through department stores such at Liberty and Barneys, New York and the art jewellery gallery Jewellers' Werk Galerie in Washington DC. Since 2000 she has been experimenting with cast bioresin and these works are in public and private collections (including Crafts Council and the British Council), and has worked on many books on contemporary jewellery. She has won the Association of Contemporary Jewellery Prize and several Goldsmiths' Craftmanship and Design Awards.
She has taught specialist classes in plastics, wood and silver jewellery for over 15 years and in 2019 published her first book 'Creating Jewellery in Wood'. For 16 years she was based in the innovative makers hub Cockpit Arts in London and now lives and works in Lewes, East Sussex.
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