Vannetta Seecharran has been influencing the art and design of jewellery for nearly 20 years. She focuses on teaching professional jewellery-making techniques in a way that is fun and accessible to beginners and those who want to pursue jewellery as a hobby or as a profession.
Born in Guyana, the London-based jewellery teacher migrated at the age of 11 with her parents to New York. She graduated in 1991 from the prestigious Parsons School of Art with a BA in Product Design. She later earned a Masters of Fine Arts in Jewellery Design at University of New Paltz in New York State.
During her career as a jewellery designer, her work made it into the permanent art collections of The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, The Royal Pump Rooms of Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, England; Harris Museum & Art Gallery in Preston, England, and Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.
In 1998, Seecharran set up her workshop in London where she began to build her reputation as a contemporary jeweller. She currently lectures at Central Saint Martin’s School of Art and Design and Camberwell College of Art in London.
In 2006, she opened the Vannetta Seecharran School of Jewellery, based in Islington, London, which has already taught more than 1,000 individuals, many of whom subsequently began practices as makers/designers.
As a leading jeweller and with many years’ experience as an educator, Vannetta is passionate about teaching, and encourages her students to achieve their potential as designer/makers. In addition to teaching professional jewellery making techniques, there is an emphasis on developing individual design ideas. In just a few weeks, students develop a keen eye for jewellery design and begin to formulate their own ideas for jewellery making.
Vannetta Seecharran School of Jewellery is staffed by highly qualified tutors who bring to the students many years of teaching experience at leading art universities in London and up-to-date skills and knowledge of the art and design field. All tutors are practising designer/makers and exhibitors of their work in the UK and other countries.
On her Facebook page, she mentions: “Courses specialise in silver and beaded jewellery making are all very hands-on, so from the beginning you will be using the tools and creating jewellery pieces. Students learn the basic techniques and skills with which they can progress to become a skilled jeweller and create beautifully designed pieces. Classes are held in a fully equipped jewellery studio in Central London with specialist equipment for students to make use of.”
In November 2009, Vannetta’s first book “The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Jewellery Making Techniques” was published by Search Press in London and Interweave in the U.S. Her book is the ultimate guide for the experimental jeweller. It offers detailed instructions and clear photographs for working with all kinds of materials – from rubber, resin, glass, leather and paper to plastics, ceramics, textiles, and natural and found objects, these options, along with precious and non-precious metals, can all be used individually or combined in a mixed-media piece.
Preceded by a helpful introduction offering guidance on essential tools and inspirational advice for self-designed projects, the main section of her book is organised by material or media, providing details on the properties and possibilities for each as well as some inspiring examples of jewellery made using the techniques described. For the finishing touch, information on various surface textures that can be achieved for each media as well as ideas for various clasps and closures are shared.
