Creative Inspiration Workshop: The Art of Enamelling with Emily Bedford at Cockpit Bloomsbury
- Date
- 25 Feb 2026 · 1:45PM - 5:15PM
- Price
- 1.45pm – 3.15pm or 3.45pm – 5.15pm, £40 (8 places)
- Venue
- Cockpit Bloomsbury, Cockpit Yard, Northington Street, London, WC1N 2NP (Meet in Cockpit Yard to be taken to Emily’s studio)
- Programme type
- Workshops
Join jeweller Emily Bedford at her Cockpit Bloomsbury studio to explore the ancient art of enamelling and discover the techniques she employs to brings colour and texture to metal. This Creative Inspiration Workshop includes demonstrations and the chance to create your own small, enamelled tile.
The workshop begins with a short studio tour, where Emily will share her inspiration, creative process, materials, and tools, with finished pieces on display for inspiration. Following this, Emily will demonstrate the techniques of champlevé and sifting enamel.
Learn how she prepares, grinds, applies, and fires coloured enamels, including providing tips on layering, stencils, and kiln safety. After the demonstration, there will be the chance to experiment and create your own enamelled tile in white with the application of second colour through sieves or stencils. Explore colours, textures and patterns with guidance and support from Emily.
No prior experience is needed - just bring your curiosity and creativity.
FAQs
We will provide all the materials to experiment and create your own enamelled tile in white with the application of second colour through sieves or stencils. Please feel free to bring your own sketch book as well as preferred pen and pencils if you wish.
Please meet in the Cockpit Bloomsbury Yard and you will be taken to Emily’s studio for the workshop. The address is Cockpit Yard, Northington Street, London, WC1N 2NP.
Yes, at Cockpit Bloomsbury the lift is accessible from John’s Mews at street level. Please notify boxoffice@goldsmiths-centre.org ahead of the event to ensure a member of staff is on site for assistance.
Who is the practitioner?
Emily Bedford has been designing, making and selling jewellery for over 25 years. Having studied at Sir John Cass, her work is rooted in hand making processes and bench skills.
She works from her Cockpit Studios in Bloomsbury, more recently creating pieces solely by hand to focus on traditional techniques. During the pandemic she set up an enterprise with her partner producing and finishing pieces for other designer makers, being fascinated by the challenge of reaching a perfect finish and also enjoying the relationships and interactions with peers and colleagues. She saw a gap in the industry for a service that offered nurturing and advice for new designers entering the industry as well as for established ones. More recently she has begun working for Malcolm Betts’ as a goldsmith / jeweller. His beautiful pieces are all handcrafted and forged in his workshop using traditional goldsmithing techniques, enabling Emily to learn new skills and continue her professional development.
In 2022, Emily received a Business Catalyst (Large) Grant from the Goldsmiths’ Centre allowing her to embark on a long-held ambition to learn to enamel. This led to her to explore the etching process, as the two processes go hand in hand, enabling her to produce enamelled pieces in-house from conception to completion. Presently she runs two courses from her studio where students can learn dry sifting enamelling which is more experimental and the more formal technique of champlevé enamelling.
It is the learning, discovering and exchanging of skills that fuels Emily’s passion, as she believes that it is essential for the jewellery industry that jewellers and non-jewellers alike, can discover the fascinating and ancient techniques hands on. Her values are reflected in her belief that being part of a wider community of makers and designers is what makes the industry an even more enjoyable one to work in.