We, have recently taken a group of students to Florence in Italy to learn the craft of Chasing and Repoussé from an expert. Some of our students were complete beginners and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the course and made beautiful work. We have now decided to bring Fabrizio over to the UK to run the 3 day course from our workshops.

The course will start with the students working in copper on a set project to become familiar with the tools and process. During this period, they will have time to discuss their own design for the next project on day two and three, this will be in the new Argentium silver as this gives no problems with fire stain.

Fabrizio hand makes all the chasing and repousse tools together with the pitch block made using Italian pitch that Fabrizio prefers. These tools and the pitch block may be purchased from Fabrizio at the end of the course.

Fabrizio Acquasfresca is only 40 years old but he has been working all his life as a chaser and repousser having first started in his Uncles workshop at the age of 13. He has taught this amazing skill to many students from all over the world and he is a natural teacher.

Fabrizio is a direct descent of the Acquafresca's family. Matteo Acquafresca (1651-1738), who invented the breech-loading system, and was a gunsmith from a family of respected and well-known artisans. During this period some of the family made gun stocks reaching a high level of elegance, highlighting their skills in the art of chasing and so the Acquafresca family began their historical journey in this form of art. Centuries later, on December 18th 1969, Fabrizio Acquafresca was born in Tuscany. When he was 16 he started to work in a small custom jewellery workshop, immediately showing talent and a strong originality. He could not wait to discover new art expressions and techniques, and after two years he was hired by a famous Florentine silver artisan, Brandimarte, to work in his workshop. Fabrizio learned the stages, from fusion to soldering and from polishing to chisel. It was in chasing and repoussé techniques that he expressed his art to the highest quality.

Please see our availability page on our webpage and if you cannot find the course send us an email then we will advise you the date of the next course as soon as it has been organised.

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