Back in July, I was lucky enough to be invited along to one of The Workbench‘s Bristol workshops. They run ring making workshops in London and various other places around the country, as well as selling their kits online.
I was very excited about this, as I’ve always wanted to give jewellery making a go.
We were greeted by wine in cans and treats from Pinkman’s Bakery – including their infamous donuts – and mingled for a bit. Katie and Kirstie from The Workbench were so lovely and welcoming, chatting to us about our days and our trousers (was that just me?) and asking us whether we had anything in mind for our rings.
I didn’t, really. I wasn’t sure where to start. Luckily, displayed across the table amongst beautiful bouquets, they had examples of rings we could make. I really liked the more rustic ones, so that’s what I settled on, figuring it’d take shape as I made it.
We were each given a wax ring to fit our chosen finger, and we had to gradually carve it down with a scalpel to get our desired shape. This would then be used to create a mould, which would then be used to make our own unique ring.
I really enjoyed this process – it was so cathartic to be using my hands to create something again.
Once done, we popped our wax rings into an envelope with our details on, and said goodbye to them for a couple of weeks. Our finished pieces would be sent to us.
I can’t tell you how exciting it was to finally receive my ring back from The Workbench – I made this!
I was impressed with how weighty it felt, and it felt so good to slip it onto my finger for the first time. I’ve been wearing it pretty much non stop since then, and love when I get a compliment about it, because then I get to tell people all about how it was made.
I would highly recommend checking out if there’s a ring making workshop happening near you or buying one of their kits to make a ring at home. My experience was gifted, but I’d do it again in a flash and happily pay for it.
Check out The Workbench website and Workbench Instagram to find out more.
