Full disclosure - the owners of Babylon Store are some of my favourite people, and I was lucky enough to be gifted this experience after a last-minute cancellation. That said, it didn’t take anything away from the genuine surprise and delight of the experience.
Babylon Store offers a great range of classes, scheduled a few months in advance. I’ve previously done the kokedama class (so much fun) and have seen the terrarium and succulent workshops in action. From time to time, they also run one-off events - during Art Fest, for example, you could work alongside renowned watercolour artist Nellie Ryan. A regular favourite is the ring-making workshop with Fiona McDonald from Vosso Studio.
The day kicked off at 9am with a quick health and safety briefing before we got stuck in. Most people arrived with a design in mind - one young guy brought an existing ring for inspiration, another woman had stones from an old piece she wanted to incorporate, and the lovely Ingrid (back for her fifth class!) had a simple but meaningful idea for a friend. We started by looking through images for inspiration. Mine was my children, and I was initially set on stamping letters into the finished piece.
The first step was creating a wax replica - shaping, carving, scraping (and occasionally fixing!) under Fiona’s calm, expert guidance. Time flew by, and before we knew it, it was lunch. Tea, coffee, water, and baking were all provided, which was a nice touch. And later we were treated to a cheese board.
After lunch, with our wax pieces complete, we moved on to casting. We created moulds in sand and used either silver or bronze to form the rings. The metal fills the air vents, which are then removed before the final stages of filing, polishing, sizing and finishing. There are plenty of decisions along the way, including how polished or raw you want your final piece to be.
I think the best way to approach this course is with an open mind because you just don’t know how things will go. I chose to partially polish my ring and keep its shape quite organic, letting the sand, cooling process, and my inexperience become part of the final design. In the end, I skipped the stamped letters - sorry kids.
To book classes or buy vouchers for classes you can pop into Babylon Store at 15 Turua Street, or purchase online. Jewellery from Vosso Studio is also available to purchase in-store and online at Babylon Store.