What do I need to wear?
The only non-negotiable with clothing is closed shoes as we will be dealing with heavy objects and molten metal. Other than that, we recommend comfortable loose-fitting clothes that you wouldn’t mind too much if they got dirty (lab coats are provided for polishing).
Long hair must be tied back when polishing.
Where Are You Located?
Our workshop is in Stratford, East London, about a 7-minute walk away from Westfield and Stratford main station. Our unit is on the second floor of a large building which hosts approximately 40 other businesses. click for more details of how to find us.
Can I Bring My Own Metal?
Yes! If you have some jewellery that you would like to melt down and use to make your rings out of, then we can accommodate that.
We know that existing jewellery can have huge sentimental value however, it does throw up some challenges when it comes to melting it down and reusing it.
Hard to control the colour - When melted down and reworked yellow gold takes on a redder colour, often looking more like rose gold. This can be mostly corrected by quenching the ring in acid then leaving it to ‘pickle’ for a period of time; however this is not fail safe and results can be inconsistent. Over time the ring might also become more rose gold looking as the copper in the alloy comes to the surface.
Imperfections in the metal - Whilst it may be possible to know the quantity of gold in the material it will be impossible to know what the other materials in the alloy are and in what percentage. 9ct gold is just 37.5% gold, meaning that 62.5% of the metal is other materials, most likely copper and zinc, but other materials such as silicon, tin and cadmium can also be present and we are unable to test for these. If you are melting multiple pieces acquired at different times and in different locations then the mix of materials can be quite varied. These consistencies can make the process and finished result much harder to control.
Metal is much harder - again, because of the inconsistencies in the alloys, when existing jewelry is melted down it is much harder to bend and mill meaning your ring making experience will be tougher and not as fun as if we use newly alloyed.
Very limited in design - if using existing jewellery we are only able to make plain bands with parallel sides.
Wastage - Like any other manufacturing process there is a certain amount of wastage when you are making jewellery (like sawdust with wood). This can vary depending on the design of the rings but can be as high as 20%. Whilst some of this can be recovered and it's yours to keep it may be hard to resell as it will be hard to identify.
Solder content - solder is gold that has been mixed with tin which helps it to flow and melt at a lower temperature but this is a contaminate when melted up. Where possible we will cut out any solder joins that we can identify to ensure that there is not solder mixed in with your metal. If a piece has multiple solder joins then we will need to cut them out and this will add to the non recoverable wastage.
It is for this reason that we do not accept chains. In a chain, every link will have a solder join in meaning that when melted, the overall proportion of solder in the metal is too high to melt and reform.
Surcharge - Because of all the factors listed above we implement a £250 per person surcharge to cover the extra processes and time that is required should you wish to supply your own metal.
If you have jewellery that you would like to exchange for the melt value of its gold content, then we will assess and weigh this on the day of your workshop.
We do not accept new gold from external suppliers.
Please note that any items without full UK hallmarks will need to be acid tested, and this is charged at £10 per item.
Old Jewellery can be melted down to make new wedding rings.
Can I Bring My Own Gemstones?
Yes! You’re welcome to bring along any gemstones you have and we can discuss including them in your wedding rings.
Can we engrave our rings?
We can have your rings engraved after the workshop however its not a skill that can be mastered during the workshop.
What Food Is Provided?
We normally order in and luckily Stratford is home to many great restaurants. You can see whats on Deliveroo, here. You’re also welcome to fly the nest (leave the workshop) and find a local restaurant.
When your booking is confirmed, we will email you to arrange your design consultation and make arrangements for lunch.
Can we make fingerprint rings?
Yes, But . . . . . .
We recommend that if you would like to make fingerprint rings then we split your workshop into 2 sessions, at least 2 weeks apart. This is because the process of casting jewellery with fine details like fingerprints is best done via lost wax casting which is done off-site.
We can attempt to cast fingerprint rings via sand-casting which we can do on the same day however we cannot guarantee results. Sand casting generally produces rougher results and whilst we can re-use the wax carving to attempt multiple castings, we may be limited by time.
Is This Activity Wheelchair Accessible?
Yes. Our workshop is up on the second floor however our building has a lift and all of the actions involved in making jewellery can be completed by somebody in a wheelchair.
If you have restricted movement in your arms or hands then we should be able to adjust some of the processes, however, you may not be able to take part in all processes. If you have specific requirements or any questions in general then please contact us and we will be happy to discuss this with you. We will do our very best to make the activity as assessable, interactive, safe and enjoyable as possible.
Can We Bring Our Dog?
Yes, dogs are welcome in the workshop.
Where Do You Source Your Metals From?
We use Fairtrade gold as standard which is mainly mined by small scale miners in Peru and our platinum is ‘recycled’.
Is There Parking Near Your Workshop?
There is free on Street parking on both sides of Burford road, however this does come with conditions and vehicles found to be in breach of these will be fined! Confusingly there are two separate sets of conditions on the road so please check the sign for the space you are parked in. One of these conditions is that parking is only available to those with a residents permit on ‘event days’. Event days are days when West Ham United play at home as we are located close to the London stadium. You can view a list of their fixtures here, those these days may be subject to change.
If all else fails, there is a large car park operated by just park less than 200m metres from the workshop. You can pre-book here or we can arrange parking once you have arrived.
If you have any queries that we haven’t covered, please contact us and we will do our best to answer your questions.
edward@edwardflemingjewellery.com