Create unique jewellery
Diploma in WAX Jewellery
If you’re looking to launch or grow your own jewellery business through wax carving, this Diploma is designed to give you the technical and creative skills to do exactly that.
Delivered over one year and split into three terms, this is a practical and hands on course in which you’ll learn advanced techniques for creating jewellery using wax. You’ll learn how to design and carve in wax, prepare work for casting, and refine, finish and set stones in metal to a professional standard. Alongside this, you’ll develop your own design style and gain the confidence to create jewellery that’s ready to sell.
PRICE: £5,497 (payment plans available)
WAX CARVING FOR MODERN JEWELLERY
Wax carving is a powerful and versatile way to design and create contemporary jewellery. It allows you to explore form, texture and scale freely, developing designs in wax before committing to precious metals such as silver or gold.
Working in wax gives you the freedom to create both one-of-a-kind statement pieces and cohesive collections. Designs can be cast as individual works or reproduced through mould-making, making wax an ideal medium for commission work and commercial jewellery collections.
This Diploma is suitable for complete beginners as well as jewellers already working in silver or gold who want to deepen their wax carving skills and expand their creative and technical toolkit.
Many of our Diploma students go on to build successful jewellery businesses or work professionally within the jewellery trade. This course teaches not only how to carve and design in wax, but how to use wax strategically as part of a sustainable jewellery business.
What you’ll learn
Wax is a great medium to work in if you are looking to start or grow a thriving jewellery business.
In this comprehensive course you will explore the following techniques in depth:
Wax carving (shaping and refining designs by removing material)
Wax build-up technique (melting and adding wax to create organic and sculptural forms)
Preparing your waxes for adding stones
Cast-in-place stone setting
Sand casting and understanding the lost wax casting process
How to clean up and finish pieces that have been cast in metal
A range of stone setting techniques to add stones to your cast pieces
By the end of the course, you’ll have a portfolio of finished jewellery pieces and the skills to continue working confidently in wax, developing your own distinctive style. With a solid grounding in these techniques, your design possibilities really are endless.
COURSE DATES
This Diploma is split into three terms over a full year. You train with us in the Brighton studio one day per week. Here are the upcoming course dates…
sept 2026:
Start date – Thursday 10th September 2026
End date – Thursday 1st July 2027
Classes are 10am - 5pm, on Thursdays
CURRICULUM
term 1 - Carving & Casting in Wax
Term 1 starts on Thursday 10th September 2026
Week 1: Wax Carving Level 1: Making a Wax Ring & Pendant
Week 2: Wax Carving Level 2: Stone Setting in Wax - Cabochon & Faceted Settings
Week 3: Wax Signet Ring (Round)
Week 4: Wax Carving Level 3: Claw Setting in Wax
Week 5: Sand Casting Jewellery
CASTING 1: Hand in your selected pieces so far for casting ready to clean up at the start of term 2
Week 6: Shaped Signet Ring - Stars and Hearts
Week 7-8: Grain Setting in Wax
Week 9-10: Cast-in-place Wax Stone Settings
Week 11: Workshop Week
Week 12: Feedback and Mentoring
CASTING 2: Hand in your selected pieces for casting ready to clean up and set stones in the second half of term 2
TERM 2: Wax & stone Setting
Term 2 starts on Thursday 7th January 2027
CASTING: You will receive your pieces back from mid-term 1 casting
Week 1-2: Polishing, Finishing & Cleaning up Castings in Wax
Week 1-2: Setting Stones in Metal - (Set the flush, cabochon & claw projects)
Week 3: The ‘Build-up’ Wax Technique - Level 1
Week 4-5: Statement Oval Stone Setting in Wax
CASTING: You will receive your pieces back from the end of term 1 casting
Week 6: Star Setting: Clean up shaped signet ring & Cast-in-place pieces
Week 7: Grain Setting in Wax (stone setting section)
Week 8-9: Build-up Technique Claw Set Ring - Level 2
Week 10: Creating a Wax Jewellery Business
Week 11: Workshop Week
Week 12: Feedback and mentoring
CASTING 3: Hand in your selected pieces for casting ready to clean up and set stones in the first half of term 3
TERM 3: Further explorations in wax
Term 3 starts on Thursday 15th April 2027
Week 1-2: Stone Setting in Wax Masterclass
CASTING 4: Hand in your Wax Masterclass project for casting
Week 3: Stone Setting & Clean-up: Large Oval Ring
Week 4: Stone Setting & Clean-up: Build-up Technique Pieces
Week 5: Soft Waxes - Creating Designs using Modelling and Soft Wax
Week 6-7: Mitsuro Hikime technique
CASTING: Receive your wax masterclass project back from casting
Week 8: Stone Setting & Clean-up: Wax Masterclass Piece
Week 9-11: Final Pieces (Make a mini collection in wax)
Week 12: Marking and preparing final exhibition
Please note: The curriculum is subject to change along with developments in the school programme.
WHAT’S INCLUDED?
Included in the cost of this course are all your essential materials to make your items throughout the year. Unlike other courses we include materials, including all wax and casting 13 of your pieces in silver.
A starter wax toolkit to set up your own jewellery space at home
10 Teaching days, 1 workbench day and 1 mentoring day per term
1-2-1 mentorship with a tutor
Professional casting of 13 of your wax creations in silver, including two large statement pieces (a combination of wax and metal pieces will be marked and this course teaches you how to finish your pieces professionally in metal, including a lot of stone setting!)
A mini-professional photoshoot for your work at the end of the year (worth approx. £350)
An end of year exhibition at the school in Brighton to showcase your achievements
A completed Diploma certificate and badge on successful completion of the programme.
project gallery
Here are a selection of samples from the Diploma in Wax Jewellery. You will learn the skills to make all of these pieces and over the course of the year will develop your own style.
READY TO APPLY?
Whoop! We’re very excited to welcome you to the programme.
If you feel ready and want to pay all in one go, you can go ahead and book your place now.
If you would like to chat about the Diploma one-to-one and discuss payment plans, please book a chat with us:
