Tell me about it

Ready to take your stone setting into seriously skilled territory? You've learned the foundations, developed your technique and discovered just how much is possible with a gemstone, some metal and a few carefully chosen tools.

Now it's time to push those skills even further! Welcome to Skilled Stone Setting: Castle, Fishtail & Channel, our advanced two-day Professional Class at Vanilla Ink CIC in Glasgow.

This course explores three technically demanding stone-setting styles, helping experienced jewellers develop the precision, control and understanding needed to produce beautifully detailed, professional-quality settings.

You'll explore castle and fishtail setting, two distinctive forms of micro-claw setting, before moving on to channel setting, where gemstones sit securely within carefully prepared walls of metal.

Working with an experienced Master Goldsmith and Stone Setter, you'll learn how to prepare your settings, accurately remove metal and create clean, secure finishes using traditional hand-setting techniques.

And here's the thing: you don't need a workshop full of expensive machinery to achieve exceptional results.

We'll show you how knowledge, preparation and a few surprisingly simple tools can take your stone setting to an entirely different level.

Can I do this class?

If you're already confident with intermediate stone setting and you're ready for a proper challenge, this one's for you! This is an advanced Professional Class designed for jewellers with strong bench skills and previous experience of setting gemstones.

You'll need to be comfortable with:

• Accurate drilling and burring using a pendant motor

• Preparing and cutting seats for gemstones

• Using scorpers and traditional stone-setting tools

• Working carefully and confidently with small gemstones

• Understanding how metal is moved and secured around a stone

Our Intermediate Stone Setting: Flush & Pavé course provides an excellent foundation, but equivalent experience gained elsewhere is absolutely welcome. You don't need to be a professional setter, but you should already have enough practical experience to work accurately and independently at the bench.

Unsure whether you're ready? Get in touch before booking. We'd much rather help you find the right course than throw you in at the deep end!

What happens?

Over two intensive days, you'll explore advanced stone-setting techniques through detailed demonstrations, practical exercises and focused tuition.

These settings demand patience, accuracy and careful preparation, so we'll take the time to explore not just the techniques themselves, but the principles behind successful execution.

Day One: Micro-Claw Setting | Castle & Fishtail

We'll begin by exploring two beautiful styles of micro-claw setting, where careful metal preparation and precise cutting create secure settings with distinctive decorative finishes.

You'll learn how to:

• Accurately position and prepare seats for five 3mm gemstones

• Castle-set five stones into the bar

• Explore decorative cutting techniques used to create the distinctive fishtail appearance

• Refine and finish your settings for a clean, professional result

You'll discover how small adjustments in preparation, cutting and finishing can make an enormous difference to the final appearance of your work.

Day Two: Channel Setting

Next, we'll turn our attention to channel setting, a beautifully clean technique that secures gemstones between two carefully prepared walls of metal.

You'll learn how to:

• Prepare accurate seats for round gemstones

• Channel-set round stones securely and consistently

• Explore the additional challenges of setting square gemstones

• Refine and finish your settings to achieve clean lines and secure results

Throughout the weekend, we'll focus on the importance of accuracy, controlled metal removal and understanding how each gemstone is held securely within its setting. These techniques might look deceptively simple when written down, but there's a tremendous amount of skill involved in getting them right.

By the end of the course, you'll have gained practical experience in castle, fishtail and channel setting, developed greater control over your tools and strengthened your understanding of advanced stone-setting techniques. Most importantly, you'll have the knowledge to continue practising and refining these skills in your own workshop.

Our Approach to Stone Setting

Exceptional stone setting doesn't require exceptionally expensive equipment. At Vanilla Ink, we teach traditional, professional stone-setting techniques using simple, affordable tools. No fancy machinery, no enormous investment. Just knowledge, precision and a few surprisingly useful bits of wood and steel!

Our approach comes from decades of experience at the bench, and we've even written a book about it. We believe that beautiful, high-quality stone setting should be achievable for every jeweller, regardless of their equipment budget.

We'll teach you the skills, not sell you the tools.

Do I need to bring anything?

Bring a sketchbook or notebook for taking notes. There's plenty of technical information to absorb, and you'll definitely want something to refer back to.

Glasses or Optivisors are mandatory for this class. Advanced stone setting involves extremely detailed work, and suitable magnification is essential. If you're unsure what you'll need, please get in touch before booking.

We'll provide all the metal, gemstones, tools and materials required for the course. Everyone will have their own fully equipped jeweller's bench, with access to our specialist stone-setting tools. However, if you have your own tools that you're comfortable using, you're very welcome to bring them along.

Please tie back long hair, avoid open-toed shoes and keep loose-fitting clothing to a minimum.

The details

🔨 Two-day Professional Class
🕑 10am – 6pm daily [includes a 1-hour lunch break, 1pm – 2pm]
📅 Sat 2nd & Sun 3rd October

Why book with Vanilla Ink CIC?

At Vanilla Ink, we believe that developing your jewellery-making skills should be exciting, rewarding and accessible, whatever stage you're at in your creative journey. Our Professional Classes are designed to help jewellers build practical skills, refine their techniques and explore new possibilities at the bench.

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. Through jewellery making, we help people develop skills, build confidence and connect with their communities.

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