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Learn with Juliette Goggin

Upcycling Jewellery

Learn how to make jewellery from everyday objects including making bracelets, pendants, and brooches and using vintage jewellery.

Course overview

The first project is to make a simple button bracelet - it so quick and easy that it can be completed in 10 minutes if you have all the materials to hand. You could even try out this item with children who will love the instant results. You will then progress to make a brooch using a kilt pin and salt spoons, or charms, including learning how to use epoxy resin glue and how to solder using a Dremel Versatip soldering tool. We then continue by learning how to create a wire loop, followed by drilling a ceramic thimble to make a pendant, creating a brooch, or locket from a tiny tin, making a charm bracelet using board game counters, and finally a pendant on a chain featuring old postage stamps and vintage jewellery findings. Depending on the items you wish to make, or the materials you have available, you can choose 2 projects which you can complete in your own way for personal feedback and guidance from Juliette. By the end of the course you will have mastered several simple techniques which you can then repeat, perfect and expand upon for your own creative upcycled jewellery projects.

Meet Juliette Goggin

Hello, I'm Juliette Goggin. Crafting has been a way of life for me since I first became inspired by the infamous sticky back plastic and other assorted odds and ends featured on BBC television’s Blue Peter. As a child I was never happier than making something. A career in product design and development, where I have worked with fashion designers such as Cath Kidston and Julien Macdonald has helped me to understand and appreciate both the creative and the manufacturing process. This in turn led me to create my own fragranced gift and home collection, Juliette at Home, which reflected my love of all things recycled and vintage. It became a great success with independent retailers and department stores who loved the upcycled cake stands and candles in repurposed cups and vintage glassware. It also gave me the excuse to spend a lot of time scouring carboot fairs and second hand shops in search of all manner of things that I could repurpose into my own quirky range. I was thrilled to be asked to take part in Super Scrimpers on Channel 4 where I shared this love of crafting with the show’s participants, whilst also giving lots of money saving tips. At the same time I also co wrote my first book, Junk Genius, with my talented friend Stacy Sirk. The book featured endless ideas for repurposing everyday objects and encouraged anyone with a creative flair to have a go at lots of simple, step by step crafting projects in their home. I have just completed my second book Hand Made Beauty which is designed to encourage the enthusiast to create their own home made skincare products using natural materials and even plants from their garden.

Course description

Expert upcycler Juliette Goggin teaches you how to upcycle your favourite objects and old jewellery into fabulous new jewellery pieces.

This course will help to inspire you to make some really creative jewellery for yourself and to give as gifts for friends and family.

Making your own jewellery is great fun, and adding some upcycled elements to the process can take the idea to a whole new level.

Each detailed project is accompanied by a step by step video so that you can follow each stage at your own pace. This will help you to get the techniques right each time and explain simply how to use the tools and materials needed for each piece.

You will be inspired to hunt through the broken jewellery that you already have to make new, upcycled, individual pieces. You will also learn how to use other unusual items as the basis for a project and to look again at what you might previously have thought of as just junk.

From these unlikely objects you will learn how to make bespoke bracelets, necklaces, pendants, lockets and brooches with unique individuality and flair, unlike anything you would buy on the High Street. By the end of this one week course you will have made several bespoke, creative jewellery pieces to wear, or give as gifts and the knowledge to make many more in the future.

You will learn some simple, hands on techniques to enable you to make quick and easy projects, as well as some more detailed tasks to make your creations more professional and long lasting. From basic techniques such as attaching jump rings and making wire loops for pendants, to specialised gluing and mastering soldering and drilling.

You'll learn:
  • how to make bespoke jewellery
  • how to use basic jewellers tools and techniques
  • where to find upcycling inspiration
  • jewellery findings and how to use them
    • The course includes:
  • 1 on-demand video lesson - presented by Juliette Goggin
  • lifetime access to the videos, notes and interactive class
  • flexible classes - join and learn when and where you like
  • downloadable lesson notes
  • practical jewellery upcycling projects (with tutor feedback available)
  • access on your mobile, PC, Mac or laptop
  • small interactive online classroom - chat online to students from around the world and share your creative ideas
    • Time to complete the upcycling jewellery course:

    Every student is different but in general we think the whole course will take around 3 hours 20 minutes to complete including:

  • Video lesson: 20 minutes in total
  • Course notes: 30 minutes per lesson
  • Your jewellery projects: at least 2 hours
  • Interactive classroom time: 15 minutes per lesson
  • Tutor feedback review (Expert level): 15 minutes per lesson
    • Ready to get started?

    Just add the course to your basket above - choose the 'Expert' option for personal feedback from Juliette on your jewellery upcycling project and questions.

    Any questions? Contact us by clicking on the orange speech symbol - we'd love to hear from you.