Men making jewellery

Men making jewellery - reblog

I've been blogging for the London Jewellery School again. This is a reblog from a couple of interviews I did with some students.

Click here for the original blog post

I am a tutor and mentor for the one year Diploma in Creative Jewellery here at the London Jewellery School. The course is taught one day per week over three terms. In one of the groups that I mentor, men outnumber the women 3 to 1. This group are currently in their third term and will be finishing the course and exhibiting their work soon.

I spoke to Andrew Tills, one of the students in the group.

What attracted you to the diploma course?

The course touches on several styles and concepts which can be used in making jewellery – no matter what budget you’re targeting

What work were you doing before starting the course?

I was a catering manager/chef.

Which jewellery medium/s do you prefer working in and why?

Both glass fusion and silver work. Glass brings colour to my work without breaking the bank. Silver work gives me the pleasure of turning a piece of boring metal into something that is functional that I can say ‘I made it’.

What do you hope to do with your jewellery making skills when you finish the course?

I am considering furthering my training so as to create a stronger foundation to developing and creating a jewellery business of my own.

I was also able to catch up with George Galula at our new studio warming event last week. George is a registered nurse but had always dreamed of becoming an artist and getting involved in fashion.

He graduated from the Diploma in Creative Jewellery with a distinction and went on to take our Advanced Jewellery Diploma earlier this year.

He is currently building up his jewellery business, working hard on a new collection for the pop up shop he has rented with his partner at Craft Central for two weeks over Christmas. He has had three framed pieces shown at an exhibition at UCL hospital gallery and he sold one of these. He also has some pieces from his Mudlark collection being photographed as part of a fashion shoot in Paris in November.

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