Basic Jewellery Making – 5 Day

Join Andrew Pickering for a 5 day course for basic jewellery making

Location: The Centre
Duration: 5 days
Level: Beginner–Foundation (hobbyists welcome)

Course Overview

This five-day intensive course introduces students to the core skills of jewellery making through the design and fabrication of a ring or pendant in Sterling Silver. Participants will learn essential workshop techniques, including fabrication, soldering, stone setting and polishing, while creating one or more finished pieces.

Depending on design complexity and individual progress, there is scope to complete two to three finished items during the course.

What You Will Learn

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Design and fabricate a ring or pendant in Sterling Silver
• Create and fit a stone setting, choosing from:
• Claw (prong) setting
• Channel setting
• Bezel setting
• Construct an appropriate shank or framework to suit your design
• Learn essential soldering techniques for jewellery fabrication
• Prepare pieces for polishing, including surface finishing
• Set stones securely and complete final polishing to a professional standard

Who This Course Is For

• Beginners wanting a strong introduction to jewellery making
• Hobbyists looking to refine and expand their technical skills
• Anyone interested in learning traditional silversmithing techniques

Basic jewellery knowledge is helpful but not essential. The course is suitable for motivated beginners with good hand skills and an interest in making.

What You’ll Take Home

• One or more completed sterling silver jewellery pieces
• A solid foundation in fabrication, setting and finishing
• Practical skills that can be applied to future jewellery projects

Materials & Tools

Workshop tools will be provided at The Centre. Silver and stones may be purchased separately or discussed prior to the course.

📍 Location: The Centre, Sydney
🗓️ Dates: 27th - 1st May
🕤 Time: 9:30 am – 4:00 pm daily (with a 30-minute lunch break)
🎒 What to Bring: Your own hand tools and consumables (e.g. blades, burs). Blanks and stones are provided.

Class Details:

Class will start at 9:30am. Students are welcome to arrive at 9am to get set up and get their benches ready.

What you need to bring:

Students are to bring their own hand tools. A complete list of what is needed on the day, will be sent to you prior to your class date. You can also bring your own jewellers apron.

Provided:

You will be provided with metal and any stones required for your piece. The Centre will also provide safety glasses if required.

Students will also be provided with a Certificate of Completion.

Lunch:

A light lunch and refreshments will be provided. Please advise our team if you have any allergies or special dietary requirements for the day. Coffee and tea will also be available.

Getting there:

The Centre is located on Parramatta Rd, which is accessible via bus or train. Alternatively there is free parking behind the building off Redmond St. Please visit The Centre website for more information. thecentresydney.org

Your teacher:

Andrew Pickering

With over 35 years of experience in the jewellery industry, Andrew Pickering began his career as an apprentice production gem setter and rose to become a specialist in 18ct gold, platinum, and precious gemstone setting for the largest manufacturer in Europe.

He has taught a wide range of stone setting courses at Birmingham’s prestigious School of Jewellery, working with beginners, jobbing jewellers, retailers, and custom makers.
One of his most popular courses, Tips of the Trade, was known for delivering practical, impactful results in just five days. Students often experienced breakthrough moments as they overcame long-standing setting challenges under Andrew’s guidance.

Throughout his career, Andrew was commissioned by jewellery companies across the UK to train their staff in both setting and pre-setting techniques for manufacturing. His training helped streamline production processes, reduce waste, and improve outcomes in commercial workshop settings.

In addition to his teaching and consultancy work, Andrew also spent 15 years as both a manufacturer and retailer in the UK, creating bespoke pieces for private clients.

Andrew’s teaching philosophy centres on simplicity and adaptability. He believes that beautiful results can be achieved with minimal tools, and his hands-on, low-stress approach is tailored to suit individual learning styles—empowering both emerging and experienced jewellers to find techniques that work best for them.