The first winner of our new monthly jewellery making competition was inspired by an LJS course to take her jewellery in an exciting new direction.
The vibrant Perspex necklace and bangle set (main picture) from Rachael Chapman stole the show in our first monthly jewellery making competition. The unusual design and great photography really made her entry stand out from the crowd.
Rachael, who sells her work under the name Make It Funky, says: “Earlier this year I took Michael Milloy’s Perspex course at LJS; such a fun day and it really changed my jewellery making style. The fantastic colours are an inspiration in themselves, they lead me to thoughts of retro sci -fi films like Barbarella. Currently I’m just selling at local markets but am in the process of opening an ASOS Marketplace boutique.”
You can find out more about Rachael at her blog Make It Funky or you can follow her on twitter @ladymakeitfunky
There was a wide range of styles and techniques among July’s entries and the early August ones – thanks to everyone who entered and shared the fruits of their talent.. You can take a look at them on our Facebook and Pinterest pages, and if the images inspire you, don’t forget to see if we have a class to help.
Rachael’s prize is a voucher that will allow her to attend one of our one-day courses and we’ll be offering the same prize for August, so get those entries in now by emailing press@londonjewelleryschool.co.uk. We are really looking forward to seeing your creative endeavours. Also keep an eye out for other exciting prizes in future months.
Diploma gold rush
The Diploma in Creative Jewellery is proving so popular that at the time of writing we only have one place left on the September intake.
But if you are still contemplating the plunge into a year of jewellery training, don’t despair there will be more places available in January.
The Diploma involves attending our studios in the heart of London’s jewellery quarter one day per week for three 10-week term and creating your own collection using a range of techniques and materials.
Take a look at some of the beautiful work of this summer’s graduates here.
Natural jewellery with a charity twist
Former LJS student Tulien Q Thurston has launched her own jewellery brand TQCreations featuring her Nature Collection of leather charm bracelets.
Tulien, who took the five day intensive Jewellery Business course last year, has decided that her business can also be used for good – $1 from every bracelet sold will be donated to poverty and famine reduction charities.
Using your creative skills to raise awareness or give back seems to be a theme this month. One of our competition entries was from Kate Wilson who makes jewellery using snare wire collected by the South Luangwa Conservation Society in Zambia, to help protect wildlife from being hurt or killed by poachers. $5.00 from the sale of Kate’s snare wire jewellery goes back into funding anti-snare patrols and she has raised $1500 so far through jewellery sales.
Are you following us?
Did you know that there are lots of ways to keep in touch with what we’re doing at LJS?
We’ve been embracing social media so there is a way for everyone to keep up-to-date with what we’re doing, the things that inspire us and jewellery industry opportunities.
As well as the newsletter and the blog you can find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and now we have joined Pinterest a site where you can share images on a virtual pin board. There you will find images from some of our classes as well as things that have caught one of the team’s eye such as Olympic inspired jewellery or fabulous leather bib necklaces.
Running over five weeks, this is a lovely evening beading class, suitable for absolute beginners, and anyone who would like to learn the techniques needed to make some beautiful beaded jewellery either for a fun hobby or for extra income.
You will learn all the basic techniques including: bead stringing, working with pliers, using silver wire to make your own findings and clasps.
A chance to develop more metal clay techniques in this advanced intensive class to create a swing-open locket.
Our experienced tutor will guide you through the process including different techniques such as dry construction, adding decorations, creating the hinge and correcting mistakes. Experience in metal clay techniques recommended for this class.
Learn the age old technique of wire wrapping, a great way of showing off shaped stones. No soldering or gluing is involved and you will learn to twist and interlock wire to create stunning statement pieces. Through this intensive five-week class you will learn how to use a range of different shaped wires to create settings for stones and beads and how to create structural pieces using wire.
If you have any news you would like us to put in our newsletters please do let us know by emailing us at press@londonjewelleryschool.co.uk
