North Laine Jewellery School Courses

If you've ever walked through North Laine, you might have noticed the workshop at 37 Gloucester Road. This spot is home to the North Laine Jewellery School (NLJS), which operates out of the Julian Stephens Goldsmith space. Julian Stephens, who established his shop back in 2003, founded the school to create a relaxed, inclusive environment right here in Brighton where people could genuinely learn the craft. It’s super central, just a five-minute walk from the train station, making it easy to get to whether you’re coming for a day or an evening class. The school is open all year round and accepts major cards like American Express, MasterCard, and Visa.

The NLJS caters to everyone, from absolute beginners looking to try their hand at jewellery making for the first time, to more experienced makers wanting to refine specific techniques. The core offering revolves around classes focused on working with precious metals, aiming to develop both manual skills and creativity. Their main General Jewellery Classes run in ten-week terms, aligning with the academic year (Autumn, Winter, Summer). These are informal and allow students to tackle projects ranging from simple rings to more complex pieces involving gems. For those already proficient, they offer Advanced Jewellery Classes, which are highly personalized and cover specialized skills like stone setting, often guided by recognized experts like Pierpaolo Belfiore.

Beyond the long-term courses, NLJS also runs intensive Weekend Courses covering specific skills like silversmithing, enameling, wax carving, and even cuttlefish casting. If you work during the day, they have a great schedule of Night Classes running from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. General jewellery is taught on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings, while Wednesday nights are dedicated to wax carving and sand casting. The learning environment is kept intimate to ensure focused attention; General classes are capped at six students, and Advanced classes at just four. The team includes Julian, along with experienced tutors like Barnaby Simpson, Pierpaolo Belfiore, and Andrea Eserin. While the school generally operates from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (with a shorter day on Wednesday and closed Sunday), it's worth noting these hours are provisional for 2026, so check ahead if you plan to drop by.