A CLATTER of metal, whirring equipment and chatter descends on York School of Jewellery.

Another class has begun and the students, spread between the two workshops, take out rings, necklaces and brooches and begin cutting, filing or setting while tutor Julie Moss wanders between them, sipping a cuppa.

Her first stop is Pam Kirk, 56, who is worried that the piece of silver she has bought for the brooch she has designed is too heavy. This is Pam’s third piece of work, following beautiful gold, diamond and mother of pearl cufflinks that she made and gave to her husband for Christmas.

“The cufflinks were my second piece,” she tells me proudly. “I made a ring first.”

Nearby, someone is softening silver at the hearth area and Katherine Antoun, 23, is making her first ring – a pretty, delicate piece which she will set with pink sapphires.

Opposite her, Elaine Sampson, 48, is making a ring too; a thicker design with grooves in it.

This is York School of Jewellery, a small but bustling enterprise in Hospital Fields Road, York, run by tutors Julie Moss and Nik Stanbury. It was formed three years ago and has grown to offer classes five days a week, at £15 for two hours, with a ratio of six students to one tutor.

“Each class is suitable for absolute beginners as well as more advanced students,” says Julie.

“On the first week they come to us, they start learning basic skills with their first project. They have a choice of about four rings to make that are already designed for them, and by the end of that not only have they got a finished article but they will have the skills to measure, solder, cast, cut and polish as well.”

The formula seems to work and several students have set up their own businesses or run stalls at craft fairs and one has even designed their friend’s engagement ring.

Jennifer Chadwick, 25, and Cate Flanagan, 29, are one such success story. They learned the silversmithing skills they needed to set up their online business, Sebille, at the jewellery school.

Now they make pretty necklaces, bracelets and tiaras incorporating silver with Swarovski crystals, stones with mythical properties such as rose quartz and laborodite and ethically sourced unique beads, including tiny silver nuggets made by the Karen hill tribe villages in Thailand and Indonesian beads made from recycled coke bottles.

Other students’ work includes hand painted tattoo-inspired wooden brooches, a necklace inspired by the artist’s pet chameleon’s eye and chain mail bracelets.

“We really do have all kinds of jewellery being produced,” says Nik.

“We had one girl who had a Phd in chemistry and used a technique on flowers that she had grown herself, photographed herself and made into jewellery. I’ve told her never to tell anyone how she does it.”

Nik has a doctorate in design, over 25 years of teaching experience, has designed jewellery for astronauts and the Swedish Government and now designs silver splints for people with joint problems.

He takes a tough line on copying – “It’s theft,” he says, sternly, “we absolutely do not allow it here” – but happily helps people develop their own ideas.

There is no pressure to design a certain kind of jewellery and people tend to come into their own with design.

“If you want to do really rough organic, almost ripped apart jewellery that’s fine. If you want to go back to doing finer stuff that’s great. It’s not for us to impose preferences on our students,” he says.

He has an ethical policy, too. He will not allow students to use conflict diamonds and he encourages people to recycle their gold and silver jewellery.

“The process of manufacturing gold and silver is truly horrendous,” he said.

“Aside from the fact that it is horrible for the people who have to mine it, it is damaging from an ecological point of view. If you can bring in gold and silver jewellery that you don’t like and don’t wear, then you can melt it down and remake it.”

The school holds its own registered Hallmark and all gold, silver and platinum pieces made by the students can be Hallmarked and displayed on the school’s website.

I’m interested to see how a total novice such as me can learn alongside a more experienced jeweller such as Liz Ogden, who has just finished an elaborate necklace of moss agate, sterling silver and 18 carat gold and is now crafting earrings from silver and beautiful blue/purple tanzanite.

Nik sits me down at one of the benches – each one is fully equipped to save people waiting for tools – and explains what everything is, from the skin (cloth under the bench to catch waste) to the peg (to support your jewellery while you work).

We start with a piece of copper, which he shows me how to cut with a blade, keeping my arm perfectly relaxed.

It is great and within ten minutes I have signed up for classes and chosen the ring design I am going to make when I start in February.

As the two-hour class comes to a close, I’m itching to get home to a pen and paper and start designing some of my own.

Watch out Tiffany.

•For more information, phone York School of Jewellery on 01904 674767 or log on to york-school-of-jewellery.co.uk Beginners are welcome at any time.