DIVA, the museum of diamonds, jewellery and silver

13 Grote Markt, B-2000 Antwerp, Belgium

Tel: + 32 3 360 52 61 Mob: + 32 485 42 61 50

 

Three silversmithing courses for summer 2022:

Open atelier smithing – create your own object (9-15 July 2022)

Silversmithing workshop – make your own bowl (5-8 July 2022)

Forging spoons (17-19 August 2022)

 

https://divaantwerp.be/en/visit/events-exhibitions

Open atelier silversmithing: create your own object.

During this open atelier you will have the opportunity to work on your own design in silver: a bowl, box, jug, candlestick or an abstract object.

This open atelier is suitable for participants with prior knowledge of silversmithing techniques such as sawing, filing, sanding, polishing, folding and forging.

The number of participants will be limited to six and the workshops will take place in the DIVA studio, 7 Kaasstraat, Antwerp 2000, Belgium. The cost is €560 (silver not included)

 

Dates: 9 – 15 July 2022, 9.30 am to 4.30 pm

The open studio starts on day one with a discussion of your design that you will have already prepared at home. Based on your design(s), we ensure that the right tools and stakes are available in the workshop. Then you will spend six days working on the elaboration of your design. Silver is not provided by DIVA as each design is differen and each participant will provide their own silver. If necessary DIVA can advise and/or refer you on the purchase of your silver prior to the open studio. DIVA has a small stock of silver that can be purchased for your design if necessary. You can also work with copper.

This open atelier is suitable for participants with prior knowledge who like to roll up their sleeves and express their creativity. The silversmith Max Gielis will guide participants from concept to finished object through a combination of demonstrations, one-on-one guidance and creative problem-solving.

Max Gielis who studied silversmithing at Sint-Lucas Antwerp, is a teacher at the RHoK Academy in Brussels and worked as an independent silversmith, among others, on assignment for Gijs Bakker, Koen Wijngaerden and studio Lachaert D’Hanis.

Further information is available from tom.iriks@divaantwerp.be or +32 (0)3 360 52 52.

Silversmithing workshop: make your own silver bowl

The number of participants will be limited to six and the workshops will take place in the DIVA studio, 7 Kaasstraat, Antwerp 2000, Belgium. The cost is €400 including one 10 x 10cm pices of silver

 

Dates: 5 – 8 July 2022, 9.30 am – 4.30 pm

Coffee, tea and water are included, as are the materials we use in the workshops. In the afternoon we let our hands rest for a while and enjoy lunch (not included). There is a kitchen with a fridge to store your lunch. Accommodation is not included, but there are plenty of lodging options in the area.

Further information is available from: tom.iriks@divaantwerp.be or +32 (0)3 360 52 52.

During this workshop you will learn some basic silversmithing techniques including how to saw, file, sand, polish and forge and you go home with a silver dish or bowl.

During the workshop you will start with a small silver plate (10 cm x 10 cm) and you will process and shape this, through hammering and heating the metal, until you obtain a silver dish or bowl.

The workshop is suitable for beginners and no previous knowledge is required. It will be taught by Annick Tapernoux who studied at Sint Lucas Antwerp, under the supervision of Koen Wygaerden, and at the Royal College of Art in London.

Forging spoons

We all know about spoons. They have existed for centuries in all shapes and sizes and are one of the oldest inventions by man. During this workshop you will learn the basic techniques for forging a spoon.  The workshop is suitable for both beginners and those with some experience but no prior knowledge is required.

The number of participants will be limited to six and the workshops will take place in the DIVA studio, 7 Kaasstraat, Antwerp 2000, Belgium. The cost is €345 including one silver bar

Dates: 17 – 19 August 2022, 9.30 am – 4.30 pm

Forging a spoon is a very intense process beginning with a bar of silver that is gradually forged into a shape using an anvil and a large cutlery hammer. During this process there is a combination of hot and cold forging, followed by intermediate annealing and then cold working. During the workshop you will learn step by step everything about how to shape and finish your spoon. Forging is a very old technique that is simple and fun to do. Seeing a hard and precious material transformed into a beautiful and usable object is an almost magical experience.

The workshop will be taught by Max Gielis who studied silversmithing at Sint Lucas Antwerp, is a teacher at the RHoK Academy in Brussels and worked as an independent silversmith for i.a. Gijs Bakker and Koen Wijngaerden.

Further information is available from: information via tom.iriks@divaantwerp.be or +32 (0)3 360 52 52.

 

The Silver Society Courses

AN INTRODUCTION TO BRITISH SILVER

In the autumn of 2021, in collaboration with the Goldsmiths’ Company and the Goldsmiths’ Centre, we ran a highly successful on-line course on the history British Silver from the 16^th Century to the present day. This was led by Timothy Schroder and Lucy Morton, with weekly sessions for 6 weeks and included discussions with a number of other experts.

We are currently considering how and when we might make this course available again in future.

There are no courses planned at present.