Diploma in wax jewellery Tools and materials kits

Thank you for your interest in the Diploma in Wax Jewellery 1-year course. We’re so excited for you to join us!

One of the benefits of working on this from home is that you are using your own tools which you will continue to use for years to come.

The wax Diploma course is designed to be accessible for complete beginners to wax but will also be the right next step for experienced jewellers who already have some tools. To make it as easy as possible for you to join the course and just get making, we have some tools and materials kit options for you to choose from.

Please do read through these options carefully to see which is right for you.

tool kits

We have three tool kits available. We’ve chosen to split these tools up as some people enrolling will have some tools already and we don’t want you to have to purchase duplicates. The tool kits are:

• Foundation Toolkit

• Wax Carving Toolkit

• Wax Tools Stone Setting Kit

Foundation tool kit

Who is the Foundation toolkit for?

Anyone who is new to jewellery making and needs a starter kit. This has your basic silversmithing tools like your saw, soldering equipment etc.

You can find the full list below. If you already make jewellery, you may already have these tools or just need to buy a few items.

• Jeweller’s saw frame

• Saw blades 2/0

• Bench peg

• Beeswax

• Ring Mandrel

• Nylon Hammer

• Set of pliers:- Side cutters, chain nose, Flat nose, Round, half round

• Brass tweezers

• Small hand torch

• Heatproof small brick

• Liquid flux

• Safety pickle

• Plastic tweezers

• Wire mesh

• Flux brush

• Solder cutting pliers

• Large half round pliers

• Wooden handle for file

• Set of needle files

• Emery papers (400/600/800/1200) 

• Polishing pads

• Nail buffer

• Polishing cloth

Investment

UK - £335.00

International - £485.00 (£335 plus £150 Shipping) 

Wax Carving Toolkit

This tool kit has the equipment you need for carving and using the build up method for making jewellery from wax.

• Wax saw blades

• Ruler - small size 6 inch

• Dividers  - (Standard)

• Coarse wax file ( half round shape, double ended) 

• Set of Wax needle files

• Standard needle files

• Wax carving tools - dentist tools or craft knife

• Cleaning brush file

• Wax reamer/ rings stick (with a blade)

• Max Wax Heat Pen

• Deburring tool/hook shaped wax tool

• Scalpel

• Fine tweezers

• Wax melter - wax seal kit with tealight (called wax seal kit) 

• Design stencils - round ONLY (for build up method pendant project)

• Binding wire 0.4mm

Investment

UK - £282.00 

International - £533.00 (£282.00 plus £250 Shipping ) 

Wax Tools Stone Setting Kit

This course features lots of projects that include stone setting as this is a great way to add both colour and value to your jewellery designs. This kit comprises items you need for stone setting.

• Swivel pin vice

• Callipers

• Drill bits - 1mm, 1.5mm, and 2-3mm drill bit

• Stone setting burr - 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 5.5mm, 6mm

• Round/ball burr - 1.5mm-1.8mm, 2mm,3mm, 4mm, 5mm

• Cylinder burr - 1mm, 1.5mm

• Budd burr - 4mm

• Rubber cone burrs -extra fine, fine, coarse

• Rubber knife edge burr - extra fine

• Radial discs - yellow, dark blue, pink, light green 

• Small Mandrels for radial discs

• Square pusher

• Burnisher 

• Universal handle with chuck

• Flush setting tool

• Square graver, 2.5mm

• Graver handle

• Grain setting tools

• Ring Clamp

• Thermoloc

• Safety back needle file

• White Luxi compound

• Wool pendant wheel

• Split pin mandrel

Investment

UK- £347.00 

International - £597.00 (£347 + £250 Shipping) 

materials kit

We have a materials kit for the course which comprises of the wax and gemstones you need to make the projects (please note, you are required to complete a final project of your own design so will need to source the materials you need for this although you may have some left over from the kit)

General use

• 0.8mm round silver wire x 1m

• 1mm round silver wire x 1m

• Hard silver solder - 20cm

• 1 box of slices (13 slices per box)

• Flat top ring stick, blue x 3

• Flat top ring stick, green x 3

• Off centre ring stick x 1

• Centred hole ring stick x 1

• Wire wax assortment - 1 x mixed pack

• Red relief wax tub

• Mitsuru wax ingredients - 100g beeswax, 100g pine, 50g parafin

• Wire tube - one tube each of 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm

• Blue injection wax x 50g

• 1.5mm thick sterling silver sheet, 4.5mm wide x 60mm long

  Gemstones

  Faceted Cubic Zirconia (CZ)

  • 2mm round heatproof CZ × up to 5

  • 2.5mm round faceted CZ × 20

  • 3mm round faceted CZ × 25

  • 4mm round faceted CZ × 16

  • 5mm round faceted CZ × 17

  • 5.5mm round faceted CZ × 1

  • 6mm round faceted CZ × 3

  • 15mm round faceted CZ × 1

  Faceted CZ – Shaped Stones

  • 6mm × 3mm marquise heatproof CZ × 10

  • 5mm × 6mm pear faceted CZ × 2

  • 8mm × 4mm oval faceted CZ × 1

  • 20mm × 15mm oval faceted stone × 1

  Cabochons

  • 8mm round cabochon × 1

  Sapphire

  • Rough sapphire stone approx 10mm

Investment

UK - £492.00 

International - £742.00 (£492.00 plus £250) 

casting costs

How much should I budget for castings during the Diploma?

During the Diploma, you’ll complete 13 cast pieces across the year. The cost of casting is not included in the course.

If 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.

Some Ts and Cs

We are unable to ship the materials kits to Andorra, Argentina, France, Greece, Portugal, Turkey, India, Israel, Anguilla or the Falkland Islands.

We are able to send kits to the Seychelles but you will need to pay customs, duties and tax, these costs are not covered in the cost of the kit

Kits sent to France are subject to an additional customs charge of 600 Euros

The materials kit includes what you need for the assessment on this Diploma course except for your final project. For your final project, you are asked to make a collection of jewellery in your signature style. You will need to source your own wax and cast these pieces.

If you are outside of the UK, please look out for emails from FedEx which you need to respond to for Customs purposes. You have a limited time to respond before your kit is shipped back to the UK and this could lead to a delay in you receiving your parcel.

You can download a list of the tools and materials you require to complete the course on the button below. Please note that not all items needed for the course are included in the kit and these are clearly marked.

You can download a list of the tools and materials you need for this course on the button below. This document lists what you need, what is and isn’t included in the kits.

ready to enrol?

Click the button below that relates to your location to choose the option that is right for you. You can choose to pay in full now or spread the cost of the course, tools and materials over 18 months.

Frequently asked questions

What is included in the kits?

You can download a full list of tools and materials required for the course on the button above

I just want one or two tools from this list, not a whole kit. Can I buy this from you?

No. We are not a tool business and only make up the kits to help support student learning. If there are just a few tools that you need that’s great news! Do check your local suppliers for these items.

Is there anything not included in the toolkit that I will need to get?

The majority of items are included. There are a few items that you will need to source and you can find these listed in the document.

Where can I buy my jewellery supplies if I want to get my own?

Here is a list of jewellery suppliers worldwide https://www.jewellersacademy.com/jewellery-supplies

What if I want more than one kit? How does this affect international shipping costs?

If you’d like to order more than one kit, we’re able to reduce the overall shipping cost by sending them together. International shipping is £250 for the first kit, with each additional kit in the same order charged at £75 per additional kit.

When will the kits be shipped?

We will ship the kits in time for the start of the course and if you order one, we will be in touch to let you know when it's on the way.

Why do you use CZs? Can I choose to use other stones?

Cubic zirconias are man made stones and are robust. Natural gemstones have natural cuts and fissures in them and these are more liable to break so we suggest practicing with CZs first before moving onto using other stones.

If I buy the materials kit, can I choose my stone colours?

Unfortunately no. We put these together in packs for you. If you prefer to choose your stone colours yourself that’s absolutely fine - we recommend that you order your own.

Do get in touch if you have any questions!