Wax Carving Ring Workshop - Bonnie Mustoe-Whitehill

In this workshop you will learn how to create a ring out of wax, using different ancient techniques. Your wax ring will then be sent off to be cast into brass and then cleaned and polished up by Bonnie.

Wax-carving offers a more sculptural approach to jewellery-making than traditional silversmithing techniques, allowing you to achieve unique jewellery designs and incorporate organic forms and textures.

Complete beginners are welcome. This workshop is suitable for those who are looking to create a one-off piece of jewellery, as well as those wanting to broaden their creative skillset. You will be shown a variety of techniques and we will work together to find what suits you and your design best.

Your ticket also includes a complimentary drink & cake from Almanac Cafe - Gluten free options available.

Workshop Structure:

• Introduction to wax carving, a brief history, and the different specialist waxes and tools you can use.
• Demonstration and examples of different wax techniques that could be used, including carving, melting and moulding.
• Draw, share and discuss design ideas, to work out how best to approach them.
• Time to play and realise your designs.

What to bring:

• A couple of ideas! Bonnie will provide some sources of inspiration to help with ideas, although strongly recommends that you come to the workshop with an idea or two to play with. Ideas generally tend to change and progress naturally as you create your piece in 3D, but having a starting point will save you as much time for making as possible.
• Reading glasses (if you need them). You will be working at quite a detailed and small scale, so the clearer the better!
• Clothes that you don't mind getting melted wax on. It's a pretty clean activity but things can go wrong, especially when you're learning.

Casting and Finishing:

Your ticket includes the price for your item to be cast in brass and cleaned up by Bonnie.

If you would like your item to be cast in silver or gold, we can discuss additional pricing options at the workshop, as these will depend on the final weight of your item. (For a ballpark figure, silver tends to be an additional £10-£30).

After the workshop, Bonnie will send off your item to be cast. Once she has it back, she will clean and polish it up ready to be worn by you. The timescale for this is normally 3-4 weeks. (It's a long process, but absolutely worth the wait!)

We will then arrange for the collection or postage of your finished piece! 

Location:

This workshop will take place in the workspace above Almanac Cafe, a quiet open space with lots of natural light. Almanac Cafe is situated above Jar Zero Waste just up from the Barbican in Plymouth. Unfortunately there is no free parking nearby, but there are multiple car parks within a 5-10 min walk away.

Disclosure: 

Due to workshop costings, there needs to be a minimum of 2 people for the workshop to go ahead. If you have booked on and the workshop hasn't reached its target, you will be notified and refunded the full amount.

Unfortunately there is no wheelchair access on this site. Apologies for any inconvenience.