Join us at Inverleith House for a special event - the final workshop in our Meet the Makers series - which will include a hands-on jewellery workshop inspired by the trees and plant collections of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
Lasting Impressions: botanical observations, copper clay jewellery making and haiku writing with Stefanie Ying Lin Cheong
Participants will begin by observing a leaf from the Garden, looking closely at its shape, texture, veins and distinctive characteristics. Using botanical books and reference materials, they will identify the tree or plant the leaf comes from and discover more about its species, history and ecological purpose.
The leaf will then become the starting point for a small piece of jewellery or an amulet. Participants will use copper clay to take an impression of the leaf, capturing its natural surface and structure. Once formed, the clay will be dried and fired to transform the organic impression into a permanent copper object.
While the pieces are drying and being fired, participants will be invited to write a short haiku or charm inspired by the tree. The writing will explore the tree's purpose - what it provides, supports, protects or contributes to the wider ecosystem.
The workshop concludes with participants brass-brushing and finishing their copper leaf, transforming it into a small wearable memory or amulet.
The finished object becomes a way of immortalising a moment of encounter with a particular tree: a fragment of the Garden translated from living leaf, into clay, into metal, and finally into something that can be carried away and remembered.
Meet at the entrance to Inverleith House. The workshop will be held indoors. If you have any access requirements or questions relating to this event, please email creativeprogrammes@rbge.org.uk.
Stefanie Ying Lin Cheong is a Glasgow-based designer/maker whose creative practice is guided by environmental concerns. She advocates for sustainable craft-making, sharing her work and research to discuss ideas of geology, anthropology, and the climate emergency. Her jewellery collections use ethical metals and Scottish rock. She has refined traditional lapidary techniques to manipulate locally-sourced rock alongside other experimental and eco-conscious materials.
Meet the Makers is supported by The Andrew Raven Trust and Edinburgh Geological Society.
Earth Matters is curated by Susanna Beaumont | Design Exhibition Scotland and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. The exhibition runs from 20 March – 1 November 2026 at Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and is free and open to all.
Earth Matters is supported by Players of People’s Postcode Lottery and Edinburgh Geological Society, with special thanks to the James Hutton Institute. The exhibition is part of Edinburgh Science Festival, Edinburgh Art Festival, RSA200 and James Hutton Tercentenary 2026.