My Indentured Apprenticeship

Last October marked the start of my four-year apprenticeship in Diamond Mounting with the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, with my lovely dad as my Master.

It felt so special to to enter the this trade with him by my side, and I admire his knowledge and skill so much that I couldn't think of anyone better to train under.
I will forever remember walking into the ceremony room, where I was officiated into the Apprenticeship Scheme with Goldsmiths, and being asked "How long have you known your Master" to which I replied "23 years", as the room erupted! 

​​Since formally beginning my apprenticeship, I have begun to build and develop my hand skills in mounting. With the guidance and advice of my master and other talented trades people who surround us, I have already noticed a difference in my confidence to try making new things.

Below is a small selection of items I have made over the year, all of which utilised a new skill or approach to manufacturing that I hadn't explored.

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Single Stone Court Ring and with Flush Set Diamonds

I was so incredibly pleased with the soldering, execution and setting of my first set of court single stone rings.

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Sapphire, Amethyst and Topaz Drop Pendant

​It wasn't just me who loved the look of this pendant in our hut, as it walked out after being on display for a week.  Since their purchase, this wonderful pair have been back and asked me to make a18ct White Gold Single Stone Ring for them, which was another first for me! See this on a blog post in the next few weeks.

My next mission it to make another but with a different colour combination – I’m thinking Diamond, Citrine and Peridot. 
​​When making this I mostly struggled with piercing out the light window in the side of the bezels, this was the first light window I had ever pierced out and I was unsure on how to tackle it. Hopefully after making a few more of these I'll be able to do this with ease.

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Other items on my bench over the past few months...

Each piece enabled me to experience something different; wax carving, chasing basic shapes to create the depth of form, different types of stone setting and be able to experiment with different mounts.