Make your own Anodised Aluminium Jewellery

What to Expect: This is a relaxed session, so you don’t need to be creative or ‘arty’ — just come along with enthusiasm and enjoy having a go. We’ll spend the first couple of hours experimenting with inks and pens for mark making, as well as stamping and dipping anodised aluminium into special dyes. This is a chance to discover colour combinations, prints and textures, and to see where the materials take you.

The metal is then steamed for 40 minutes to set the inks and dyes. During this time, we’ll have a well-deserved lunch break.

In the afternoon, we’ll choose a piece of your aluminium that you’d like to make into either earrings, a pendant or a cuff bangle. We’ll use methods such as cutting, sanding and forming to turn your design into a wonderful piece of jewellery for you to take home.
All materials and equipment will be supplied, along with sterling silver jump rings and ear wires.

Benefits: Working with anodised aluminium is brilliant because it gives participants lots of freedom to play with colour, pattern and texture without needing any previous experience. The process is very hands-on and approachable, so people can experiment with mark making, stamping, dyeing and printing in a relaxed way, then see how their designs change once the dyes are set into the metal.

Participants will learn practical jewellery-making skills such as choosing a design, cutting, sanding and forming aluminium, as well as how to turn a decorated surface into a finished piece such as earrings, a pendant or a cuff bangle. It’s a lovely balance of creative exploration and simple making techniques, with everyone ending the day with something personal and wearable.

Who is your tutor: Jackie Denham, has been working with anodised aluminium for the last eight years, following many years of working with sterling silver. Jackie graduated 16 years ago with a First Class Honours degree in Three Dimensional Design, and has been making jewellery and wire sculpture ever since. Working with her hands is a rewarding and absorbing process, and she loves seeing an idea develop through to a finished piece. Making something from start to finish — and creating something that someone else can enjoy, wear and love — is what keeps Jackie's practice full of happiness.