Bench Basics — One Week of Learning Workshop

A five-day deep dive into jewellery making with Steph, set in the cosy Jane Finch Studio in Laverton North. 

Come join me for a hands-on week where you’ll build solid foundations in three areas — metal fabrication, wax carving, and stone setting — all in a supportive, relaxed studio environment. This class has a max capacity of 2 people per session, so you can each have an ample amount of support and less distractions, and runs for 6-7 hours each day. 

NOW THE GOOD STUFF, ie What you'll leave with —

• Basic Wax tool kit (Included - tools + waxes to get you started)
  
• List of suppliers (Aus and Intl)
• List of basic tools you'd need to get started
• Steph's Pricing Calculator (Uses Google Sheets)
• The knowledge and confidence to continue making on your own
• Ongoing support! I’m all about building community and I'm more than happy to help you out with troubleshooting and questions down the track.

Plus the jewellery you’ll make;

• 2x Bangles/Cuffs
• 2 wide band rings
• 2–3 rings or pendants set with gemstones
• A pair of earrings
• 2–4 professionally cast pieces from your Lost Wax Carving day
  
  

This class is beginner friendly, and also great if you're looking to refresh your skills.

This course runs over 5 days, across 2 weeks; 
Week 1 - 4 days starting Monday
Week 2 - 1 day on a Thursday or Friday (within 2 weeks of your first week)

This gives you a chance to go away and practise on your own before returning for a final bench day where we'll finish up your fresh castings that i've collected from the casting house that you made on the wax day, and gives you the opportunity to go over any questions, or troubleshoot any concerns you have. 

During the course all pieces will be made using sterling silver

The cost of sterling silver is included in this course fee. If you'd like to work with some solid gold, please reach out after booking and we'll discuss it!

Snacks and drinks are all inclusive and there's a lovely cafe on site that we can head to for lunch if we like!

✨ Here's how the week looks — 

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Day 1 – Building Foundations

We’ll kick things off with a full introduction to the jeweller’s bench, walking through your toolkit and learning how to safely and confidently use the tools and work with metal. You'll create two bangles during the day, while learning sawing, filing, soldering, and texturing techniques.

We’ll cover:

• Studio safety and ergonomics
• Toolkit walkthrough and material basics (carats, gauges, hardness)
• Texturing, tools and techniques
• Sawing and filing with proper posture and control
• Introduction to soldering and heat control
• Introduction into reticulation (texturing method)

✨ Projects: One textured open cuff bangle and one oval bangle

 

Day 2 – Metal Fabrication and Soldering

We’ll build on your foundational skills from day 1 with a full day of hands-on projects. You’ll make 1-2 wide band rings, with or without texture,  and design and fabricate a pair of dangle earrings — exploring movement, balance, and soldering techniques to join multiple components to create a piece. 

We’ll cover:

• How to estimate & measure materials for a piece, annealing, and shaping
• Soldering joins and troubleshooting
• Introduction to earring design, balance and movement
• Making your own jump rings and earring findings (studs, hooks)
• Multi-part soldering for layered or articulated pieces

✨ Projects: 1-2 wide band rings with or without texture,  and a pair of unique earrings

 

Day 3 – Lost Wax Carving

Today is all about exploring the beautiful art of lost wax casting. You’ll learn how to use a range of wax tools, experiment with shaping and building forms, and explore how to incorporate gemstones into your wax pieces. We’ll then cover how to best prepare your pieces for the casting house to achieve consistent, clean results. 

We’ll cover:

• Wax tool kit walk through
• Wax types and their uses (hard vs soft, blue vs green, tubes vs sheets)
• How to size and block out ring or pendant shapes
• Using carving tools and heat pens
• The “build up” method for organic forms
• Creating recesses and seats for stones
• Troubleshooting wax breaks, bubbles, and repairs
• Preparing pieces for the refinery (and what to expect post-casting)

✨ Project: Carve 2–4 wax pieces to be professionally cast in silver
(Pieces are sent off for casting after class and will be finished in your Day 5 session)

 

Day 4 – Settings & Stone Skills

This session introduces you to the fundamentals of stone setting, from creating your own bezels to setting the gemstones and finishing your pieces. We’ll explore techniques that cover both cabochons and faceted stones. 

We’ll cover:

• Fabricating bezels for different shapes and cuts of stone
• Explore different types of settings
• Sawing, filing, and pre-setting cleanup
• Setting, what tools to use and how
• Making a Bezel pendant or ring and setting a cabochon stone
• Cutting the seat and setting a faceted stone
• Final finishing and polishing 

✨ Project: Create 2-3 rings or pendants, and set each with stones.

 

Day 5 – Finishing Fresh Castings, Refresher, Questions & Pricing your work

Bring it all together: casting clean-up, final polish, Q&A, and confidence-building

Held 1–2 weeks after Day 4, this session allows time for your wax carvings to be professionally cast and for you to reflect on your learning journey. Come back to the studio to finish your cast pieces, troubleshoot anything you’ve encountered, and round out the experience with Steph’s support.

We’ll cover:

• Receiving and cleaning up your cast pieces
• De-spruing, filing, sanding, and polishing cast jewellery
• Recap of key fabrication and soldering techniques
• One-on-one troubleshooting and guidance
  
• Optional bench time to finish or refine past projects
  
  
• How to price your jewellery if you're selling it
• The importance of pricing for profit
• Demo on how to use Steph's pricing calculator

 

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What's in the included wax tool kit

• Large Half-round wax file
  
• Wax needle files
  
• Spirit Lamp (Alcohol lamp)
• Carving/Building tool set
• Scalpel + blades
• Dividers
• Jewellers saw frame + wax blades
• Bench pin with clamp
• Wax Ring sizing tool - reamer
• Wax ring tubes x2
• Wax pink sheet x3
• Sml block of wax
  

 

My goal with this class is to get you started on your jewellery making journey and build your confidence when at the bench, using the tools and a torch, and for some, in selling your work.

Any questions or hesitations? Please reach out! I'm an open book and more than happy to have a chat and answer any questions.   I look forward to joining you at the bench and can't wait to see what you create.