COURSE FEES for 2026/27

What is wax carved jewellery?

Working with wax is a versatile way of making precious metal jewellery. There are various types of waxes (you will learn how to use many on the course) that can be carved, moulded and shaped. These are then usually sent away to a caster to be cast in the metal of your choice. When you receive your cast metal back you work on it to polish and finish it and set any gemstones etc. Wax is an inexpensive material which means that you can experiment with organic and geometric shapes in your jewellery that you can't achieve using other methods.

How much should I budget for castings during the Diploma?

During the Diploma, you’ll complete 13 cast pieces across the year. We estimate an average casting cost of around £30 per piece, this would total approximately £390. However, within these 13 pieces there are two larger items (including one cast-in-place and one Mitsuro piece), which are likely to cost more. When factoring in these pieces, along with shipping to and from the casting house, we recommend budgeting around £500 for castings over the year for small to medium-sized silver pieces.

This is a guide only. Your costs may be higher if you are casting larger pieces, using more expensive metals, working with a casting house that charges higher fees, or sending items individually rather than in batches. Equally, costs may be lower if you mostly make smaller pieces and batch your castings together.

Castings are spread throughout the year as follows:

7 castings in Term 1

3 castings in Term 2

3 castings in Term 3

As metal prices and casting fees vary by location and supplier, we can’t guarantee exact costs, but this guidance is intended to help you plan and budget confidently for the year ahead.

What experience do I need to do the Diploma in Wax Jewellery?

No experience of working with wax is required as the course starts from beginners level and quickly moves on to more advanced projects and masterclasses through the year. If you have some experience of working with wax then the first week of the course may be a refresher for you before you build on your existing knowledge.

You will also be working with metal so we do suggest that you have some basic skills. We recommend you take our free 10 days of silver jewellery challenge

What are the benefits of learning jewellery making online?

You can watch me answer this question

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzFACNelG1M

What is the minimum amount of time I should spend each week on my Diploma training?

We recommend 6-7 hours per week.

If you can set aside the same day every week and get into a routine that will help you achieve this Diploma qualification. We release the content for the week and then you can decide when you watch it and work on your pieces. At our studios in Hatton Garden we had students that were working full time take the weekend option of this course successfully and you can too!

Is there a way to see what a lesson looks like before committing to the full course ?

Take a look at this free course to give you an idea of what the weekly courses are like https://jewelleryschoolonline.teachable.com/p/wax-signet-ring/

What tools and materials do I need?

We plan to publish the tools and materials lists in January 2026. We will have kits available to purchase and you can spread the cost of these with our payment plan. You will be required to cast some of your work and will need to cover that cost yourself. More information will be given at our open day.

When does enrolment close?

You can choose to spread the cost of the course over 18 months. That payment plan ends on 13th March 2026. We close for enrolment on Friday 5th June 2026. But do note, if you would like a tools and/or materials kit - we have a limited number available each year and always sell out before we close for enrolment so don't miss out.

What happens if I have holiday/business trip booked during the term time?

The course is split into terms that follow the same pattern as the school terms (in the UK). If, however, you are away on holiday/for work etc each term is flexible and you can plan your time to catch up on pieces when you are back. There is also workbench time scheduled into the course to allow you to catch up or finish off any projects. There is an additional two weeks at the end of terms 1 and 2 and an additional 4 weeks at the end of term 3 which is built into the course for this reason. (There are 4 weeks after term 3 as you have an additional final project to complete).

Additionally, you can watch me answer this question here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUCXbZ6Hi04&feature=youtu.be

What is the marking process for the Diploma?

At the end of the course you will send your work to us in London, UK for assessment. You will pay for postage and any customs charges accrued for sending your work to us (customs charges are variable). We will cover the post of postage and any customs charges for returning the work to you.

If you have completed one of our other Diploma courses, the marking process is a bit different because of giving additional time for the casting process. There will be interim accountability deadlines where we will ask you to send photos of your completed work to help you stay on track.

Is all the course material released at the start of the course, or is it released as you go along?

The course content is released weekly during term time, each Monday you will receive an email with a summary of the material and the content will be available on the course portal for you. You get lifetime access so once each week is published you will have ongoing access.

How can I stay accountable and motivated on an online course?

The structured style of the Diploma will help you with this. Each week has a set project to complete and these need to be finished ready to submit for marking at the end of the year. You will be investing money in your own development which can also help focus your mind. We would recommend scheduling time for your learning each week, for example Monday is jewellery day and nothing can interrupt that (in a perfect world!). Having this time scheduled can give you a structure as if you were attending an in-person class. You will also receive weekly emails regarding the course content to keep you on track.

There are regular deadlines for sending photos of your work to your mentor each term that will also help keep you on track. The assessment deadline is non-negotiable and you will be required to post your work to us by a certain date and send us a copy/photo of your recorded delivery receipt as proof of sending. If you do not meet the assessment deadlines Holding you to these assessment deadlines helps keep you motivated and prepared for when you are running your own business or working for another jeweller.

What support do I get as a student on the Diploma?

You get:

1-2-1 mentoring sessions over live video at a time that works for you

Fortnightly LIVE Zoom sessions with a course mentor in a small group to get the support you need

Exclusive access to the Diploma in Wax Jewellery student Facebook Group to share your weekly progress, ask questions and get feedback. This group opens before the start of the course in September.

When does payment start if I sign up for a payment plan?

If you choose a payment plan it starts immediately and the payment goes out on the same date each month so if you sign up on the 8th of the month, the payments will go out on the 8th of each month until the plan is complete and the course is paid in full. If you prefer your payment to go out on a certain date e.g. on 1st of the month we suggest signing up on that date as unfortunately we aren’t able to change the date.

Is this course eligible for an Advanced Learner Loan?

As we are a private educational institution unfortunately our courses aren’t eligible for the Advanced Learner Loan.

We do offer payment plans to help you spread the cost.

I'm not in the UK, how do the payments work with the exchange rate?

The monthly payments will fluctuate slightly with exchange rate fluctuations and can go down as well as up. If you want to start a monthly payment programme and then pay off in full when the exchange rate is in your favour you can do this by getting in touch with us contact@jewellersacademy.com

You can choose to pay in US dollars if you prefer.

Is the Diploma externally accredited?

This course is accredited by the Jewellers Academy. It is not associated with any other awarding body and there is a reason for that. We did look at different courses and mapping the content to national criteria but found that they were all very administration heavy, there were lots of written essays and work to do that we felt had nothing to do with being a successful jeweller. This course is all about helping you learn the skills to make jewellery from wax and to go onto starting a business if you want. We don’t care if you can write essays or not! And neither will your customers!

What level Diploma is it that is awarded if I am successful?

To pass this course and be awarded with the diploma certification you need to achieve 60% or above. To calculate this, we add up all of your marks at the end of the year and calculate your percentage. Students are given a full transcript of their marks. The hard copy diploma certification is stated as ‘successfully completed’ for the diploma they are awarded.