WELCOME
 
Welcome to the York School of Jewellery website.

PLEASE NOTE

We are in the process of updating this website, a task that should be complete in the next two months.

Due to our rapid and highly successful expansion and move to significantly larger premises we are now offering a new range of courses to complement the acclaimed traditional jewellery with contemporary design classes.

A list of these new classes can be found on the 'classes' page.

Please note that the photographs of the workshops are from the old premises.

Photographs of our new workshops will be uploaded in February.

New information will be in red for your convenience untill the changes to this site are fully implemented.

Website last updated 9th January 2009.
 

Here you will find information about our day, evening and weekend classes which are suitable for both complete beginners and advanced students.
 
You will also find a gallery of our students' work, with links to their web sites/e-mail addresses where applicable.
 
We are an independent school of jewellery in York, with a reputation for teaching second to none. We firmly believe that the learning experience should be an exciting and happy one, so the classes are taught in a very relaxed but extremely informative manner by highly trained designer jewellers.
 
We teach not only traditional (and contemporary) jewellery making skills, but also design skills. From ring making to belt buckles, diamond setting to box making we have both the expertise and the equipment to teach you.

If you are looking at this web site you are probably looking for jewellery classes either with us, or elsewhere.

Tips for finding the right class and provider

Here are some tips you may find helpful for assessing your needs and classes.

Work out what you want from a class (and be honest). 
Are you looking for a social event, a new hobby or to start a new career?

The Social event or new hobby

Many providers struggle with students who only come to classes as hobbyists or for social contact. This is because in order to obtain funding to run classes, they must provide evidence of success in the form of a qualification. In addition students are often limited to the number of years they can stay in a particular class for the same reasons. At York School of Jewellery we are entirely self funded and not constrained in any way. Students are welcome come to classes for as long as they wish, for whatever reason they wish.

A new career

Students wanting to start a career in jewellery making have several (generalised) options; apprenticeships, full time degree courses or part time courses.

Apprenticeships are extremely rare but can be an excellent way to learn. York School of Jewellery has an apprenticeship scheme. Apprentices are selected from the schools students.

Full time degree (or similar) courses. Degrees and other qualifications mean nothing in a professional enviroment. You will be judged solely on the quality of your work. However a degree course should allow you full time access to workshops and facillities, ideal for developing skills more quickly. However beware. Courses are often offered with a substantial 'personal development time' component, which can mean little or no tuition for long periods. In addition it is getting increasingly common for the technical skills component of full time courses to be almost non-existant.

If you do want a qualification, does the provider offer the one or type you require? A good qualification can lead to other learning possibilities.

Research the educational providers in your area or if more relevant, the literature.

Part time courses.  Part time courses can be a great way of trying out a new discipline without too much cost. In addition many of the new skills you may learn will need to be practised. This is something you can do in your own time without incurring expense. On the down side part time courses are unfortuately often not well equipped so check out the facilities before you start. Also a fair component of your course may involve paperwork or completion of set projects rather than your own work. To see what you can achieve on a well equipped part time course (two hours per week) with no paperwork or set briefs see our web gallery.
 
With all three options above, assuming you need a provider and not a book, try and establish as a minimum;
 
1. The tutors 
Who are the tutors and what is their previous and current work like?
This will give you a good indication of their ability.
 
2. Workshop facilities. 
Are they dedicated jewellery workshops for the sole use of jewellery students or is the workshop used by a variety of students from different disciplines? Worst of all, is it a generic workshop used by a multitude of students from many disciplines?
Try and establish how many hours of access there is to the workshop and the quality and quantity of both hand (and larger) tools.

3.Quality of tution/work.
Be aware of "weasel words" in adverts and prospectus.  "Weasel words" promise much but deliver little.
The very best way to assess the quality of a course and tuition is to look at a wide variety of past and present students work.
In addition if you can talk to current students so much the better.

By combining the above information, you should be able to ascertain whether you can actually learn what you wish from either books or a course.
 
The learning process should be enjoyable and stretching.  Not all tutors and courses are suitable for all students so do look around. You will find what you want if you look long enough and hard enough.
 
Finally, welcome to the fascinating world of jewellery design and making. Whether you enrol with York School of Jewellery or not, we wish you every success and good luck!
 

              Registered office:York School of Jewellery Ltd, 22 High street, West Heslerton,

Malton, North Yorkshire, YO17 8RD

Tel:01904 674767 Registration number:6633526 Country of registration: England