ECKART SCHILLINGS

I am a passionate Jeweller, Goldsmith and Gemsetter. The first time I was asked to run a jewellery course was in 1984. At that time I was working in Europe, building up my first Jewellery Business. I did enjoy the task of showing other people how they can make gold or silver jewellery. Over the next 20 years I was very busy with my own jewellery business which grew to a team of nine jewellers and included training apprentices in the trade. I must have made hundreds and hundreds of rings, pendants, bracelets etc over the years. I even managed to create my own brand (Sparks Jewellery, which is still running in Europe).

In 1994 I moved back to Australia and established a new workshop / studio on the Sunshine Coast. Today I work from my own studio at Coolum Beach. Some work for private clients and some manufacturing and designing work for jewellery shops Australia wide and occasional work for overseas jewellery houses.

You can check out some of my other work on the following websites:

• http://www.diamondhouse-design.com/ and
• http://www.jewel-school.com/

Teaching jewellery making is a part-time activity for me, which allows me to pass on my know-how and passion of fine jewellery.For the future I am planning to continue with teaching work... there are not many truly manufacturing jewellers / goldsmiths left here, as a lot of the work that used to be done locally, now gets done by very talented and eager workers in Asia.... I am looking forward to meeting new people, who share the love of jewellery making!

Eckart will be holding one workshop during the festival. This is detailed below.

WORKSHOP: The Silver Forging Course (Code ES1)

Workshop fully booked, but please still register for this workshop as you will be put on the waiting list. We will contact you if a place becomes vacant. If we have sufficient interest, we will try to arrange another workshop after the Festival.

DESCRIPTION:

The objective of this course is to introduce the students to one of the oldest gold & silversmithing techniques using very, very simple hand-tools for forging of precious metals and making freeform rings, bracelets earrings and pendants. You will learn to utilise the markings of your hammerwork as a surface finish or to file and sand to a smooth polished finish, and experience how the metal comes to live when worked with various forging hammers. I will teach you to use the work hardening process to create lightweight yet strong pieces.

Techniques to be covered include:

• Designing your own individual hammer-structures
• Controlling your metal to get it to curve the way you want!
• Stretching the metal, splitting with a chisel and subsequent forging
• Surface texturing using the narrow end of the Goldsmith hammer, or the face of an old rusty hammer. I will discuss options of various Hammer face structures and how you can custom make your own hammer face.

This course is suitable for students of all experience levels. For further information contact Eckart at jewellery.school@gmail.com or phone 07 5473 9698 .

TIME AND PLACE: July 23 (1 day), 8.30am to 4pm, Studio 2, Community Arts Centre.

WORKSHOP FEE: $70

ART MATERIALS LIST: Download Material List. Also to be supplied on registration.