Diploma in Silver Metal Clay: What You’ll Learn, How It Works and Whether It’s Right for You
Thinking about learning silver metal clay but not sure where to start?
Or perhaps you already know and love metal clay and want to take your skills further, build confidence and create more ambitious jewellery designs.
In our recent Diploma in Silver Metal Clay Open Day, Jewellers Academy founder Jessica Rose shares behind the scenes of our one-year Diploma programme and answered the questions we hear most often.
How much experience do I need?
How much time does it take?
What support do I get?
What jewellery will I actually make?
This blog gives you an overview of what was covered, but if you’d like to see the projects, hear the questions and experience the atmosphere of the session, we highly recommend watching the full Open Day replay below.
What is the Diploma in Silver Metal Clay?
The Diploma in Silver Metal Clay is a one-year online jewellery training programme designed to take students from beginner level through to advanced techniques and professional-level jewellery making.
Whether your goal is to explore a creative hobby, create a portfolio of work, sell your jewellery or start a business, the Diploma is designed to support your journey.
The programme follows a flexible structure over three terms and is designed to fit around life, work and family commitments.
Students typically set aside around seven hours per week and can study in whatever pattern suits them best.
By the end of the year, students have created a substantial portfolio of work and developed technical skills across a huge range of silver metal clay techniques.
Learn Silver Metal Clay from Complete Beginner to Advanced Level
One of the biggest questions people ask is:
“Do I need experience?”
The answer is no.
The course begins with the foundations and gradually builds technical ability throughout the year.
For those with previous experience, the early projects act as a refresher before quickly progressing into more advanced techniques.
By Term 3, you’re learning from internationally recognised metal clay artists on specialist masterclasses and creating highly detailed, technical pieces.
What Jewellery Will You Make?
The curriculum is designed to steadily build your confidence and technical skill.
Projects include:
• Silver charms and textured jewellery
• Fingerprint and personalised jewellery
• Botanical jewellery and silver leaves
• Adding gold to silver metal clay
• Embellishment techniques and decorative details
• Stone setting in metal clay
• Ring making
• Polishing and professional finishing
• Shaped stone settings
• Hollow forms and beads
• Soldering with metal clay
• Box ring construction
• Creating bespoke textures
• Advanced bezels, bails and settings
• Enamelling and colour work
• Sculptural masterclass projects
• Poison rings and lidded vessels
• Final independent project
Alongside technical projects, students also learn jewellery photography and explore how to build a jewellery business using silver metal clay.
Support Throughout the Year: You’re Never Learning Alone
One of the things that makes the Diploma different is the level of support.
Students receive:
Weekly professionally filmed lessons with lifetime access
Fortnightly small group Zoom calls with your mentor to ask questions and check in
Six one-to-one mentoring sessions across the year
Feedback and assessment at the end of each term
A private Diploma Facebook group with support six days a week
Students often tell us that the community becomes one of the most valuable parts of the experience.
You’ll meet jewellers from around the world, share your progress and have a space to ask questions and celebrate milestones together.
And the Diploma is designed to ensure your success. Our mix of supported learning, accountability through deadlines and dedicated community means that completion rate for the Diploma is much higher than most online courses.
Tools, Materials and Learning from Home
If sourcing supplies feels overwhelming, there are optional tool and material kits available.
Material kits include the clay, gemstones and materials needed for projects across the year.
Tool kits include the specialist equipment required to complete the course.
Everything is designed to make getting started as straightforward as possible.
You’ll also have lifetime access to your lessons, so projects can be revisited and remade long after the Diploma finishes.
Who is the Silver Metal Clay Diploma For?
This Diploma may be right for you if:
You’ve never made jewellery before but want a complete pathway
You’ve tried metal clay and want to deepen your skills
You’d love to create jewellery from home
You want structure, accountability and expert support
You’re interested in creating jewellery to sell
You enjoy learning alongside a creative community
You want dedicated time to develop your creativity
Watch the Full Silver Metal Clay Diploma Open Day
The best way to understand whether this programme feels right for you is to experience the Open Day for yourself.
Watch the replay to see the projects in detail, hear Jessica answer live questions and get a feel for what learning with Jewellers Academy is really like.
You can also explore:
Full Diploma curriculum and course dates https://www.jewellersacademy.com/diploma-in-silver-metal-clay
Tool and material kit lists https://www.jewellersacademy.com/diploma-in-silver-metal-clay-tools-and-materials
Payment plans https://www.jewellersacademy.com/apply-now-diploma-in-silver-metal-clay
We’d love to welcome you.