About York School of Jewellery
Our mission is to provide excellent tuition in jewellery making, silversmithing and design using the best equipment and facilities available to any person irrespective of gender, age or disability. We further aim to ensure that the tuition will involve a minimum of written bureaucratic paperwork, thus enabling a maximum of time spent undergoing fully supervised bench training.
Our Logo
Our logo incorporates the original York Assay Office mark. York Assay Office was responsible for testing the quality of precious metal items and applying the hallmark guaranteeing fineness from 1559 to 1697. We now use this mark (with the kind permission of Goldsmiths' Hall, London) as the symbol of excellence of facilities and provision of tuition in jewellery and silversmithing in York.
Facilities
York School of Jewellery prides itself on providing excellent facilities. It has three separate workshops with a total of 12 workbenches and 5 silversmithing stations. Each work station or work bench is equipped with a full complement of tools.
York School of Jewellery is committed to ensuring that their facilities are fully accessible to people with disabilities. All workshops are wheelchair accessible. We will endeavour to make adjustments to accommodate existing and potential students’ requirements.
Ethical Policy
We actively encourage to students to make the most efficient use of materials. Wherever possible we reuse old, broken or unwanted gold, silver and platinum articles by melting the scrap into small ingots. We have been providing this service for over fifteen years and our service is generally free of charge to our students. Students are then taught the processes required to fashion the ingots into beautiful pieces of high quality jewellery. This significantly reduces the impact of our students activities on the environment and the financial impact on their pockets.
Social Impact
York School of Jewellery actively supports Yorkshire Coast Dog Rescue and St Leonards Hospice. There are official collection boxes for each of these charities in the workshop. Ten pounds from each participants fee for the experience sessions is donated to the charity of their choice. Items - ranging from small tools and storage jars to homemade boxes - are often available courtesy of staff and students in exchange for a donation in one of the boxes. Following a visit to the premier silversmith of Gambia, York School of Jewellery has collected and donated a collection of new and second-hand tools for use in the Gambia.
A Lifetime Of Experience
Whilst we believe that life is the most precious thing, we take our work seriously.
One of our greatest joys is witnessing our students' growth and development.
With over 60 years of combined teaching experience between Nik and Julie, York School of Jewellery is proud to celebrate its 21st anniversary.
Vice principal Julie Moss
Having completed her foundation art and design studies in Leeds, Julie went on to train as an illustrator @ Cambridge. On relocating to York, Julie retrained as a jeweller (jewellery apprenticeship, York).
Principal Nik Stanbury
Nik trained as a designer silversmith (BA.Hons 3D Design) Silversmithing. Post graduate studies at the Victoria and Albert museum (London) and Middlesex Polytechnic in ancient metalsmithing processes culminated in a Ph.D. He then retrained at the bench as a jeweller.