Stone setting in London

[ShinyLauren]

Is Faversham too far for you? When I was looking at setting courses a couple of years ago, Tony Tigg was well reviewed. He does a setting weekend here: http://creatstudio.co.uk/workshop-an...stone-setting/

I ended up doing one miles up North in the middle of nowhere in the end!

[caroleallen]

It was interesting to read that blog as it did resonate a bit with me. Wallace and I did a course with him a few years ago. I think Wallace did a splendid job but I really struggled with it all. We did have to queue for attention and I also remember waiting my turn to make my tools. I think if you're an expert who's being setting for many a long year, it's difficult to understand that some people don't find it so easy. I concluded that it just wasn't the right course for me as I also would have preferred a course where we made our own settings rather than using bought in settings. I realised at the end of it that pave setting is not for me. Maybe if I'd had time to practice afterwards, I'd eventually have got the hang of it.

[enigma]

I did a course at In The Studio , Kegworth which I found very useful.
I suppose it depends what one hoped to get out of it but ours was 5 days with 6 students and certainly wasn't enough for a beginner to do everything including making the settings.
I was disappointed that we didn't make settings as I really struggled with that at the time and have a lot of orders for them but 5 days wouldn't have been long enough so they do that in a different course.
We also didn't get to doing Pave, again through lack of enough time.
We did, however, get to learn claw setting in various designs, bezel setting, channel setting, tube and gypsy/flush setting and also some work on star setting so the beginnings of pave.

[ShinyLauren]

It was interesting to read that blog as it did resonate a bit with me. Wallace and I did a course with him a few years ago. I think Wallace did a splendid job but I really struggled with it all. We did have to queue for attention and I also remember waiting my turn to make my tools. I think if you're an expert who's being setting for many a long year, it's difficult to understand that some people don't find it so easy. I concluded that it just wasn't the right course for me as I also would have preferred a course where we made our own settings rather than using bought in settings. I realised at the end of it that pave setting is not for me. Maybe if I'd had time to practice afterwards, I'd eventually have got the hang of it.

Oh that's a shame - when I was researching I read good things about his teaching. I'm glad I went for the Guy Whitney one in the end. It was miles away, but I got two days of one to one tuition and learned loads.

I sucked at pave though! I might have another go one day, but I was more interested in learning the styles I use most in my jewellery, so rubover, corners, claws etc.

[marna]

Lauren, I think I came across your writeup when I was trawling blogs for recommendations, and it sounded great! (But far away, which would mean catsitting and organisation.)

I've read a couple of glowing write-ups of the Tony Tigg course out in Faversham but I have two things I have promised to attend that weekend, so that's out of the running.

Anyway, I've had an answer back from CityLit about the class I was wondering about. It will include some toolmaking (yay!) but there will be up to sixteen people in the class, which is a lot. On the other hand, it's (relatively) cheap, would get me into town and working with other people once a week, and I can always look somewhere for a day of tuition to top up the bits I've not grasped, or the things I want to focus on. Still contemplating it I think....

[susieq]

Marna - I've done a few short jewellery courses at City Lit - currently also doing Mandarin there and also starting a day jewellery class at the end of the month. I've enjoyed all the courses that I've done there - 16 is the maximum number they enrol but the largest class I've been in was 12. If you like to spread out a lot, the bench space is quite small. They have a very good range of tools, but only a couple of pendant motors and I think only 5 soldering stations. I also do an evening jewellery class with my local education authority which has only a very basic range of tools, but where each workbench has its own torch. We are 13 in that class. At City Lit I miss having my own torch; at the local adult ed I miss the tools.

If you're worried about large class size, you could always phone up and ask how many are already enrolled?

[Dennis]

If you get bored, City Lit is well placed for a quick trip to Hatton Garden. Visit Cookson, Walsh, Euro Findings AE Ward, Holts or even leave some work at the mini assay office.

Leather Lane, the next parallel street, has S&M hardware, which looks deceptively well, like a hardware shop, but has all sorts of jewellery tools at bargain prices.

The 243 bus goes from Kingsway, up Clerkenwell Road. The stop is opposite Holborn station. Dennis.

[Patstone]

Getting excited we are coming up to London for the Goldsmith Fair I hope, and will visit all the shops you mention. I wonder if the tools shop you mention would have a cheap rolling mill, next question would I be able to carry it all the way back to Devon.......

[marna]

Thanks Susie! Your comment was really useful and I've signed up for the stone setting course.

I tend to not spread out too too much - or I'm at least always constrained by the space I have - so I should be fine there. Or if not, I'll pick up some smaller-working tips maybe.

I have a foredom and a little soldering space at home, and I'd be happy to take those tasks away where possible - it's really the metal-moving bits that I'm struggling with now, and that's the bit I think that watching and talking to an expert will help me most with.

I'll report back on how it all goes!

[susieq]

Marna, forgot to say if you are able to take your own set of pliers with you, it's well worth doing as the class ones are used by lots of students. Some of the sets they have are okay, but it's frustrating if you happen to pick up a grotty set! Just make sure yours are well labelled.