meet the diploma mentors 2024
One of the big benefits of the Diploma courses with Jewellers Academy is that you are assigned a mentor who will work with you one to one over Zoom. Your mentor will assess your work and give you one to one constructive feedback. We have a team of mentors at Jewellers Academy and I invited four of the mentors, one for each of the Diploma courses, to talk a bit about their experience of mentoring, how they support you and what they love about working with you one to one. Watch now.
WHO ARE THE MENTORS?
DIPLOMA IN SILVER JEWELLERY - YEAR 1
Elin Horgan is a largely self-taught jewellery designer and maker with over 10 years of experience in the industry. She makes her own collections which she sells online and through selected independent shops & galleries in the UK. She also teaches wax carving classes in the Bristol area, helping students to create their own ring or pendant design which is then cast in silver and has filmed wax carving projects for the Diploma
DIPLOMA IN FINE JEWELLERY - YEAR 2
Barbara Yarde studied jewellery and silversmithing at Sir John Cass University in London. She is a trained goldsmith and passionate tutor and mentor for Jewellers Academy. Her work combines traditional silver and gold designs with techniques such as wax carving, Keum-Boo (fine gold fusing) and reticulation. She runs her own jewellery brand in London selling handmade collections and bespoke work.
ADVANCED JEWELLERY DIPLOMA - YEAR 3
Anelia Kuprina is an award-winning independent London jewellery designer, who combines traditional hand-making techniques with modern technologies to create exquisite jewels.
In the ten years that she has spent in the industry, she has worked for leading UK jewellery companies, West End ateliers and the time-honoured workshops of Hatton Garden. This practical training has endowed her with the skills necessary to be able to expertly manipulate precious metals and infuse meticulous precision into her work. Her signature is bold, innovative and exciting. Anelia jewellery utilises her innate understanding of form and texture with a potent blend of hypnotic colour to create luxurious sculptural masterpieces in miniature form.
DIPLOMA IN SILVER METAL CLAY
Metal Clay artist Vicki Ralph likes to create little worlds in my pieces. Silver clay looks and feels like the soft moldable clay we’re all familiar with but has tiny particles of fine silver mixed into it. When fired the clay burns away revealing a fine silver sculpture. Vicki loves using metal clay to create detailed and intricate elements and the ability to tell stories through jewellery. Her pieces often feature natural gemstones and are oxidized to highlight details and provide a timeless feel.