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LEVEL FIVE?! Ooft. Look how far you've come! 🔥

Remember when making your first silver ring felt like a major achievement? Well, here you are, ready to tackle Mitsuro wax, metal recycling, silversmithing and some rather fancy stone settings!

Welcome to Level Five Jewellery Making, our eight-week course at Vanilla Ink CIC in Glasgow, designed for experienced makers who are ready to explore more ambitious techniques and develop their confidence at the bench.

And by now, you'll know how this works! Four weeks learning new techniques. Four weeks bringing your own ideas to life.

During the first half of the course, you'll explore four very different approaches to jewellery making, from the beautifully unpredictable textures of Mitsuro wax to melting and recycling precious metal, forming a copper tea light holder and constructing a rex gemstone setting.

Then it's over to you! The final four weeks are dedicated to developing your own jewellery projects, experimenting with the techniques you've learned and tackling those designs you've been itching to make. Our experienced tutors will be on hand to offer guidance, practical demonstrations and support whenever you need it.

Four weeks of learning. Four weeks of creating. Eight weeks of possibilities. And if you're wondering whether there's anything left to learn after Level Five, just wait until you see Level Six!

Can I do this class?

Completed Level Four? Brilliant. You're ready for another challenge! Level Five is designed for confident jewellery makers who already have a strong understanding of traditional bench techniques and experience creating their own jewellery.

Ideally, you'll have completed our Level Four Jewellery Making Course, but equivalent experience gained elsewhere is absolutely welcome.

You should already be comfortable with accurate saw-piercing, filing and forming, soldering and controlling heat, constructing and finishing jewellery, planning and developing your own designs, and working independently with standard jewellery-making tools.

You don't need previous experience of Mitsuro wax, drawing down metal or making a rex setting. We'll introduce you to those techniques during the course.

Not sure whether you've got the right experience? Get in touch before booking and we'll happily help you decide.

What happens?

Level Five follows our tried-and-tested structure, combining four weeks of guided technical learning with four weeks of independent project work.

Weeks 1–4: Discover New Techniques

Week One: Mitsuro Wax Taster

Mitsuro is a traditional Japanese wax-working technique that creates wonderful flowing, organic textures and forms. You'll explore how this unusual wax behaves, learning how to stretch, twist and manipulate it to create distinctive jewellery designs. The resulting wax forms can be used as models for casting, allowing you to capture shapes and textures that would be difficult to achieve through conventional metalworking. It's a fantastic opportunity to loosen up, experiment and embrace a little unpredictability in your designs.

Week Two: Melt, Draw Down & Recycle Metal

This session explores how precious metal can be melted, recycled and transformed into usable jewellery-making materials. You'll learn about preparing metal for melting, working safely with molten metal and drawing down metal into wire or other useful forms. It's a brilliant introduction to the practical processes involved in reusing precious metals and understanding how raw material becomes something you can work with at the bench. And it's a useful reminder that even those little offcuts can have a future!

Week Three: Make a Copper Tea Light Holder

This week, we're stepping beyond jewellery to explore traditional silversmithing techniques through the creation of a copper tea light holder. You'll work with sheet metal, developing your forming, shaping and construction skills as you create a functional three-dimensional object. It's a fantastic opportunity to explore how techniques used in jewellery making can be applied to larger pieces, improving your control and understanding of how metal behaves. And you'll leave with something rather lovely for your home!

Week Four: Making a Rex Setting

Rex settings are a distinctive style of gemstone setting, combining decorative metalwork with carefully constructed supports to hold a gemstone securely. You'll explore the principles behind this setting style, learning how the different components work together and how accuracy and careful construction are essential to achieving a successful result. It's an excellent opportunity to develop your precision, improve your construction skills and discover another approach to incorporating gemstones into jewellery.

Weeks 5–8: Make It Your Own

The final four weeks are dedicated to developing your own jewellery designs and projects. Perhaps you've fallen in love with Mitsuro wax, want to experiment further with recycled metal or have an ambitious design that combines techniques from several previous levels. Whatever you'd like to explore, our tutors will be there to help you plan your project, overcome technical challenges and bring your ideas to life.

By the end of Level Five, you'll have expanded your technical knowledge, explored four new processes and spent valuable time developing jewellery that reflects your own creative interests. And we suspect you'll already be thinking about what to make next!

What do I need to bring?

We'll email you our Level Five Course Manual before your first session, so please bring a digital or printed copy. A sketchbook or notebook for taking notes, recording techniques and developing designs is also useful.

All tools, equipment and materials are provided for the first four weeks. During the final four weeks, you'll be working on your own projects, so additional materials may be required depending on what you choose to make. We'll help you plan your designs and source the materials you need.

Everyone will have their own fully equipped jeweller's bench, with access to our studio tools and equipment throughout the course.

Please tie back long hair, avoid open-toed shoes and keep loose-fitting clothing to a minimum. And if you need glasses or magnification for close-up work, remember to bring them. Some of these techniques involve rather fiddly details!

The details

🔨 Eight-week Weekly Course
🕑 Evening class only [6pm – 9pm every Tuesday]
📅 4th May - 22nd June 2027

Why book with Vanilla Ink CIC?

At Vanilla Ink, we believe learning jewellery making is a journey, and there's always something new to discover. Our Weekly Courses give you the opportunity to build your skills gradually, develop your confidence and explore your creativity in a welcoming, supportive workshop.

With experienced tutors, fully equipped benches and dedicated time to work on your own designs, we'll help you progress from learning the fundamentals to creating jewellery that's entirely your own.

We're also a Community Interest Company, which means every class you book helps us deliver creative programmes supporting people experiencing disadvantage, isolation and barriers to opportunity. So while you're developing your own skills, you're helping someone else discover theirs.

Educate. Inspire. Empower. That's what we're all about.

All prices are inclusive of VAT
Students must be 16+ years
Good eyesight and hand dexterity is essential
Please read our full Ts & Cs and Cancellation Policies before booking

Vanilla Ink CIC
60 Brook Street
Glasgow
G40 2AB