SILVER JEWELRY

SILVER JEWELRY SHORT COURSE

Now, not only you can buy the worldwide famous silver handicrafts of Kotagede but you can learn how to make them. Some places offer you such a rare opportunity at long duration as you wish.

Making Silver Handicraft, Learning from Craftsmen of Kotagede


Kotagede undeniably becomes the biggest center of silver handicrafts in Indonesia, surpassing Bali, Lombok and Kendari. Different silver handicrafts in various forms are made through many stages in a place that is located around 10 kilometers of Yogyakarta city center. Since 70s, silver handicrafts from Kotagede either in the form of jewelry, household utensils or accessories have attracted foreign tourists.

Now, Kotagede does not only offer the luxury of its silver handicrafts, but also an opportunity to learn the process of its making. A short course as long as three hours to a couple of days offers your alternative tour package including designing silver handicraft, making it and finally bringing the product you made yourself home. One of the places you can enjoy such a tour package is Studio 76.

Preliminary step of the course is designing the jewelry. You are free to choose the kind of jewelry and its design. After determining the design, the process is continued by transferring the design to the mould and forging it. After being forged, the sheet of brass or bronze as the raw material is forged using soft tin. Afterwards, the material is set as you wish and is polished with silver through plating process.

If you have more time, you may choose to learn making silver jewelries that is even more beautiful. In order to make it, you must learn to carve the metal sheet as the raw material before you polish it. If you like, you can choose to make jewelries of which forms resemble woven wires with silver coating at the outer part. In fact, the more beautiful and detailed of the jewelries, the more valuable they are in other people's eyes.

All processes of design and manufacture are your right. During manufacturing process, instructor will only guide and fix some less beautiful details. The experienced instructor will help you learn quickly. Supported by foreign language competence of the instructor, it will help you much.

During the course, you will also get explanation on silver handicrafts and Kotagede. For example, an explanation on silver handicrafts in Kotagede and explanation on some techniques of making silver. You can also walk around the location of handicraft and to see craftsmen working, in addition to watching ready-to-sell products.

If you choose the tour package of making silver handicraft in Studio 76, there are choices of time and duration as you wish. If you have only little time, you may choose the Short Course with the duration of 3 hours, but if you have much spare time you may choose the Full Day Course lasting from morning to evening. If you are satisfied yet, you may prefer to join the Arranged Course of which time length adapts your target and wish.

The fee of the courses ranges from IDR 100,000 to IDR 2,000,000 per person, depending on the course. The longer the course time, the more expensive the fee is. Nevertheless, you do not have to worry, since you will have more time to learn in detail and the silver jewelry you make weighs higher gram. Maximum gram of jewelry you make at a Short Course is just 5 grams, but at a Full Day Course it reaches 10 grams.

To take part in this course, you have to make an appointment first with the galleries or course providers in order for them to prepare both the instructor and equipments. If you are going to go to Studio 76, please go to Kotagede and take Jalan Purbayan. The studio provides an instructor with English and French language competence. Are you interested in making silver jewelries yourself?