Guldtranen Workshop and Classes in Tranekær
A workshop with roots and a direction
A workshop where you learn to work with metal—and with yourself.
This is where traditional craftsmanship, a personalized approach, and small-group instruction come together.
Guldtranen is a working goldsmith’s workshop at Raadhus in Tranekær. Here, you can take a jewelry-making class in Tranekær and work in a fully equipped workshop—in a peaceful environment that fosters learning and concentration.
The workshop primarily serves as a training center where both beginners and experienced students can immerse themselves in the art of goldsmithing and create their own jewelry.
In these courses, you’ll work with techniques such as sawing, filing, soldering, and shaping silver and gold—and turn an idea into a finished piece of jewelry that you can take home.
Guldtranen is also a place where craftsmanship, materials, and knowledge are passed down from one generation to the next.
Here, you can step into the process and become part of what’s being created.
Vision for Guldtranen
Guldtranen was created as a place where craftsmanship can be learned and put into practice.
Our vision is to offer a peaceful and welcoming workshop where people can engage in a creative process and create things with their own hands.
Here, there is room to be a beginner, to immerse yourself, and to develop your own style—with support from experienced mentors and in an environment where the process is just as important as the result.
The Goldsmiths
The people behind the workshop are a central part of the experience. Here, you’ll encounter three different approaches to the craft, which together make up Guldtranen.
Together, they form the framework for the courses and programs offered at Guldtranen.
Adam Mads Heindorf
Adam Mads works as a goldsmith and a modern-day alchemist. His practice combines craftsmanship, symbolism, and personal process, in which the piece of jewelry serves as an anchor for what stirs within a person.
The work ranges from traditional goldsmithing techniques to the creation of soul-inspired pieces and personal jewelry worn with intention. In the workshop, precision and intuition come together in an approach that allows the material to speak for itself—and to take shape in harmony with the wearer.
He runs his own workshop and store in Copenhagen under the name Heindorf, where he designs jewelry and works on custom projects.
Links: www.heindorf.dk Instagram Facebook
Mille Heindorf
Mille is a trained goldsmith and currently works with a combination of craftsmanship and social work. She brings her experience as a social educator to her courses, where creativity and process go hand in hand.
She teaches jewelry-making classes that focus on mindfulness, calm, and deep concentration.
Links: Instagram, Facebook
Henrik Heindorf
Henrik has many years of experience in the craft and now works on his own projects from his workshop. As a retiree, he has time to immerse himself in the materials and let the process unfold at its own pace.
He is a cornerstone of Guldtranen and brings both experience and continuity to the team.
Courses at Guldtranen
The courses are the heart of Guldtranen and the place where most people first step into the workshop.
The courses at Guldtranen are designed as small, intimate programs where you’ll have the time, space, and support to create your own piece of jewelry—from concept to finished product.
You don't need any experience—we'll walk you through it from the very beginning and guide you through the process step by step.
Classes are held in small groups with individual guidance, so we meet you where you are. The courses have limited enrollment, ensuring there’s time for each participant. Here, you’ll find the peace and quiet to immerse yourself, ask questions, and discover your own style.
You'll sit at your own workbench and work with the materials in your hands—from the first sketches to the finished piece of jewelry that you'll take home.
Two branches of Guldtranen:
• Craft workshops with Mille Heindorf
Focus on traditional goldsmithing.
• Jewelry with Soul – with Mille Heindorf & Adam Mads Heindorf
A workshop where craftsmanship, creativity, and inner reflection come together.
A piece of jewelry created through the interplay of hands, nature, and inner movement.
Courses for Groups and Individual Programs
In addition to the open courses, you also have the option of creating your own course sequences.
If you're a small group that wants to take a jewelry-making class together, you can form a class.
These could be, for example, friends, coworkers, or a community that wants to create something together on their own terms.
We also offer individual programs with close guidance if you’re looking for a more personalized and in-depth experience.
Contact Mille Heindorf to learn about the options and find a format that works for you.
Workshop and Equipment
Guldtranen is a fully established goldsmith’s workshop equipped with both heavy machinery and fine hand tools.
The facility includes, among other things, drawing benches, hand rollers, and machine rollers, as well as casting equipment for working with precious metals. In addition, there are grinding and polishing machines, an ultrasonic cleaner, pickling tanks, soldering stations, an anvil, a ring stretcher, screw clamps, sand casting equipment, a centrifugal casting machine, and an enamel kiln.
All workstations are equipped with the GRS system, which allows for the attachment of a sawing board, an engraving ball, and setting pliers. Each student works at their own table with access to a micromotor, milling cutters, files, saws, goldsmith’s hammers (both metal and rubber), setting tools, sheet metal shears, and other hand tools.
You work directly with the material in your hands—focusing on precision, immersion, and the opportunity to experiment along the way.
This allows you to work independently—with support close at hand when you need it.
The workshop has been built up over many years and provides a solid foundation for learning, deep engagement, and quality in the work that is created.
A workshop where you work with the same equipment as professional goldsmiths.
Personalized Jewelry & Soul Jewelry
You have the opportunity to meet with goldsmith Adam Mads and have a custom piece of jewelry made.
The starting point here is your wishes, your story, and what you want to carry with you. The process takes place through dialogue and with a sense of presence, as the piece of jewelry is crafted into a unique work of art.
For some, their work takes on an even more personal dimension through soul jewelry.
Soul jewelry is created, as a rule, during a one-on-one session, where the design emerges, is visualized, and is conveyed through direct engagement with your process. Through dialogue, meditation, sensory awareness, and simple exercises, the direction, materials, and style of the piece take shape.
You can choose to create your own soul jewelry as part of the courses, or have Adam Mads craft the piece for you based on the session.
A soul piece of jewelry is worn as a personal anchor in everyday life—a reminder of what you have chosen to stand for.
Contact Adam to learn more or schedule a meeting.
The Original Jewelry from Guldtranen
The original jewelry from Guldtranen was created between 2002 and 2008, when the workshop was established in Tranekær in collaboration with goldsmith John R. Cloos.
The project began as a collaborative effort between Henrik, Adam Mads, and Mille, with John serving as their artistic mentor and the driving force behind the workshop. Together, they developed a range of unique and artistic expressions, characterized by playfulness, experimentation, and a shared creative vision.
Today, the jewelry stands as part of Guldtranen’s history and as a visual reflection of the era when the workshop took shape.
Click below to see a selection of Guldtranen's original jewelry:
Meditation Room
In addition to the jewelry, the space also offers areas for taking breaks and reflecting.
Right next to Guldtranen is the Meditation Room—a simple, peaceful space that is a natural part of the course programs.
Here, you can take a step back while you work, ground yourself, and let your attention settle. The space is used for short breaks, moments of quiet, and guided meditations as part of “Jewelry with Soul.”
Together with the workshop, it creates a harmonious whole where creativity and tranquility coexist side by side.
Nature and the Area
Tranekær and the surrounding area on Langeland provide a vibrant backdrop for the work in the workshop.
Just outside Guldtranen, Tranekær Slotsby comes into view, with the red castle on the hill serving as a natural landmark. From the road in front of the house, you can see the castle rising above the landscape—a sight that inspires many people throughout the day.
It’s also just a short distance from here to the forest, open landscapes, and the sea. Many people use their breaks to go for a walk, find some peace, and let their senses come alive.
Nature acts as a quiet co-creator—a place to find inspiration, discover direction, and let new ideas take shape.
A Living Workshop
Everything you've read so far comes together here in practice—in the workshop.
Guldtranen is an open and vibrant workshop. A place where jewelry is created, and where people can become part of the process.
Courses, workshops, and programs are held here on an ongoing basis, where the craft is passed on at a calm and mindful pace.
The Name "Guldtranen"
The name "Guldtranen" encompasses several layers of meaning.
Gold highlights the craftsmanship, the material, and the precision of the work done in the workshop. At the same time, gold symbolizes value, refinement, and something that stands the test of time.
The crane is associated with Tranekær and the place where the workshop has its roots. It connects the work to the landscape, history, and the land on which it stands.
As a symbol, the crane is often associated with awareness, balance, and the transition between the grounded and the ethereal. It stands still and alert, and moves purposefully when the time is right.
Together, Guldtranen points to a place where craftsmanship and mindfulness come together—where something is shaped by hand, while at the same time something inside is allowed to fall into place.
(Here is the original Guldtranen logo from 2002)
The Story Behind the Golden Crane
Guldtranen is a family-run goldsmith’s workshop with roots dating back to 2002. That’s where the journey began—in the old estate office in Tranekær—where craftsmanship, curiosity, and the desire to create were allowed to flourish.
Guldtranen began as a collaborative project in 2002. Adam Mads Heindorf was 17 years old at the time and began his journey as a goldsmith’s apprentice under John R. Cloos.
The venture was made possible by Adam’s parents, Henrik and Trine, who financed the construction of the workshop and played an active role in getting it up and running. It was Henrik who established contact with the goldsmith John R. Cloos, which opened the door to the apprenticeship and set the direction for the work.
What began as one person’s dream quickly grew into a collaborative project—driven by a shared passion for creating jewelry as small sculptures that are worn on the body and hold a personal meaning.
Back then, we simply put it as “Jewelry for a beautiful life”—a phrase that still conveys some of the same intention that drives our work today.
Shortly thereafter, Henrik also became fascinated by the craft and followed the same path. Later, Mille joined as an apprentice, and the workshop became a hub for both professional development and family life.
In 2008, Adam Mads moved to Copenhagen and launched his own brand, Heindorf. From there, he developed his work as a goldsmith and created his own distinctive style.
Mille moved to Copenhagen and completed her apprenticeship as a goldsmith. Since then, she has trained as a social educator and now works at the intersection of people, creativity, and craftsmanship through her courses.
Henrik has remained connected to the workshop over the years and today works on his own jewelry projects at a leisurely pace.
In 2026, the three of them decided to pick up where they left off and revive Guldtranen at Raadhus in Tranekær.
It’s a return to our roots and, at the same time, the beginning of something new. The workshop is located in the same space where Henrik used to have his workshop, which has now been taken over and carried on by Adam and Mille.
After many years of going their separate ways, they are once again gathered in a shared space. A circle that closes and opens anew.
A new dimension has also emerged from this story.
Adamas – The Inner Dimension
The Golden Crane is naturally linked to Adamas—founded by Adam Mads Heindorf—which is the part of the work that focuses on inner processes, consciousness, and personal development.
Here, the work expands from craftsmanship to consciousness—from what you create to what you feel.
In practice, this is reflected in programs such as “Jewelry with Soul,” where meditation, sensory awareness, and nature are integral parts of the creative process. Here, the work moves between the tangible and the experiential—between form and sensation.
The meditation room next to the workshop is part of Adamas and serves as a place where you can settle in, tune in, and allow the process to take on greater depth.
Part of the Tranekaer Center
Guldtranen is part of the Tranekaer Center and is integrated into a comprehensive environment for courses, deep learning, and creative processes.
The jewelry-making classes are offered through the Tranekaer Center, where the workshop environment fosters a sense of community, a welcoming atmosphere, and learning at a relaxed pace.
Here, the craftsmanship at Guldtranen is linked to a broader range of activities where people come together to create, learn, and grow over time.
Accommodations and meals are provided in the center’s main building, “Sukkerfabrikken.”
Located in Raadhus
Guldtranen is physically located at the Raadhus Cultural Center—a space in the process of development, where the vision is to create a vibrant hub for creative communities, workshops, and long-term projects.
Here, the workshop is part of a broader movement in which different practices coexist side by side.
