BENCHspace ...because making matters
creativity, community, craft
BENCHspace is a silversmithing and jewellery workshop that offers you the opportunity to come and make bespoke jewellery in your own unique style.
Taster Sessions
BENCHspace offers a range of taster sessions, courses and masterclasses to build up your skill set with step-by-step expert tuition, enabling you to spend some creative ‘me’ time in our fully equipped workshop. For all abilities, from absolute beginner to competent jeweller.
Taster sessions are a perfect gift for those special celebrations – including birthdays, anniversaries, hen parties, bridal parties, (to make bridesmaid, best man, bride and groom gifts) corporate away days, team building and creative time with friends.
Great for friends and family
Bring your friends and family to share your special occasion, creating amazing jewellery to wear home with pride and great memories to share.
Your Expert Instructor
Karen Cooke
I have over 30 years of experience in the jewellery trade and am a fully qualified teacher, silversmith and jeweller and have taught all ages and abilities over the years. I look forward to supporting you in all your making adventures.
In the last 12 months
Why Choose Us
Here are a few reasons
- Enjoy learning in our fully equipped jewellery workshop.
- Each person has their own jewellers’ bench with full set of tools.
- Make your own amazing jewellery to fit perfectly in your own unique style!
Testimonials
What people are saying
Making waves…
…on our bangle workshop yesterday.
We love a good tool and these bangle dies from @proopsbrothersltd are very satisfying to use.
#handmadejewellery #benchspacesilverschool #benchspacejewelleryclasses #jewelleryworkshop
Beautiful bangles made today …
Sterling silver bangles and cuffs made today by our lovely guests, all made to their very own design and size, all unique and distinctive.
Well done everyone!
A great way to celebrate birthdays, spend creative time together or just treat yourself !
Visit bench-space.com for more info.
Resist + acid = texture
Swirly Sharpie pen lines (resist) etched with Ferric Chloride (acid) on copper sheet gives you some excellent results.
Our beginners have been experimenting with different types of resist: nail varnish, tape, blu tac, wax etc to get some amazing results for the start of their texture libraries. It’s easy and very effective to do.
You can also then use them to print onto silver with the rolling mill.
#benchspacesilverschool #handmadejewellery #benchspacejewelleryclasses #jewellerymakersofinstagram #texturingmetal
#beginnersjewellerycourse
This week it’s all about piercing saw practice and learning to drill holes and cutting internal and external shapes in metal.
So far no plasters were required … hopefully this mornings group will be blood free too!
Every day is a school day…. and learning from those who have been at the bench with years of experience is always a pleasure!
Many thanks to @charleslewtonbrain for sharing his extensive knowledge with us yesterday and to @theforgespace for hosting and making us feel so welcome.
So much information to absorb…
#jewelleryworkshop #benchspacesilverschool #foldforming #benchspacejewelleryclasses
Tube setting is the gateway drug to stone setting…😂
It will ease you into the process and get you hooked on all things sparkly!
Begin your stone setting habit with us on Sunday 29th September … taught by our favourite goldsmith @marlieswhite
Book online via bench-space.com
Warning: jewellery making is addictive and may harm your phone scrolling time…
A silver locket in progress…
Making a handmade locket is tricky to get right, making small hinges and keeping it true really tests all your skills.
Matt on our Tuesday evening class is making it look easy here …. Well done x
#jewellerymakersofinstagram #benchspacejewelleryclasses #jewellerymakers #jewelleryworkshop #handmadejewellery #jewelleryworkshop #benchspace #benchspacesilverschool
Splendid silver bracelets made today…
Well done folks! They look amazing.
👏👏👏👏👏
Wow ! We’ve just set a new BENCHspace record …
We had 75 people taking classes this week !
That’s a lot of wonderful people visiting our seaside workshop… some are returning students starting another 8 week course or masterclass to upskill, some are our lovely BENCHspacers who come every week for continuous bench hire and others are trying something new for the very first time.
We have something for everyone- all abilities.
More tomorrow with our taster session: silver link bracelet workshop…
A couple of last minute spaces still available to book at
bench-space.com
You’ll be amazed at what you can achieve!
Our lovely beginners are starting their 8 week course in jewellery making this week.
They will be kicking off with exploring textures and investigating different ways of changing the surface of metal using a variety of tools and techniques. A fun introduction to processes they will revisit over and over again.
#benchspacesilverschool #benchspacejewelleryclasses #jewellerybeginnerscourse
So many different styles and techniques….
From brutalist architecture to Mary Quant, from the Cornish coast to Elizabeth Frink; our students are inspired by all manner of subjects and make wonderful jewellery, honing their skills and creativity along the way …
This is how we roll…#benchspacesilverschool #benchspacejewelleryclasses #handmadejewellery #jewelleryworkshop #jewellerybeginner #spinnerrings #stackingrings
Many thanks to our lovely guests today who made these fabulous rings…
Join us for more jewellery making workshops, you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve with excellent tuition.
(Many thanks to @magpie_metalsmith for her glamorous assistance throughout! Xx)
Happy hens!
Thank you so much ladies for choosing BENCHspace to celebrate together!
A wonderful way to spend creative time together and have amazing jewellery to wear forever …
Enjoy wearing your fabulous rings 👏 xx
Monthly roundup…
It’s a been a while since I posted a summary of our recent makes by our lovely BENCHspacers.
Here’s what has been made over the summer ….
Well done folks !
If you’re looking for a new hobby, making jewellery means you’ll never be bored again…
Learning any new skill that requires precision, patience and attention to detail can be extremely frustrating -especially when it’s so tiny…
Learning to make mounts, bezels and settings is even more tricky (especially when the shapes are fancy cut) and definitely a skill that requires practise.
We teach this and tube setting, making collets and flush setting on our masterclasses with local goldsmith @marlieswhite.
If you make your own jewellery, book a masterclass and add sparkle and glamour to your designs.
#benchspacejewelleryclasses #gemsetting #gemsettingclass #benchspacesilverschool
BENCHspacers continuous provision … every Tuesday.
There’s always so many different projects using different techniques being made in the workshop each week.
When you’ve mastered the basics (level 3) you can start making more difficult projects and investigating your chosen skill set through new processes.
That’s when it becomes really interesting and the real learning takes place!
Pushing your skill set a little bit further with each new project and improving your knowledge and understanding of metalsmithing and pushing your comfort zone each time….
Handmade gifts are the best, especially jewellery made for you by your friend…
A lovely silver necklace made in our Tuesday evening sessions set with a crackled quartz. A special gift for a friend’s birthday.
Well done Tasha! She’ll love it…
The art of setting gemstones…
… start with tube setting on 29th September and then learn a different technique every month until January!
You can never get bored with jewellery making as there is always a new skill to learn and new process to master. This takes hours of practice to refine and get it just right.
Our masterclasses are designed for our continuing students to upskill and develop their work and practice.
We take you from being an absolute beginner to however far you wish to progress and our BENCHspace Collective community is with you every step of the way…
Look what we made…
How lovely to meet all our budding jewellery makers this morning. We celebrated three birthdays and made some amazing gifts and memories.
Well done folks!
