Do you wish to pursue a career which utilizes your artistic skills and talents? Do you enjoy creating gorgeous designs with metals and stones? Do you love working with fashion industry? Then jewellery designing could be a perfect career choice for you. Jewellery industry is a part of fashion industry and is a multimillion dollars business dealing with precious metals and gems. A jeweler, being an integral part of this industry, contributes innovative and stunning designs and also helps materialize these designs into fabulous pieces of jewellery. A jeweler assumes complete responsibility of making and repairing jewels and of appraisal of the products as well. He must be an expert in goldsmith and should also be deft at stone setting engraving, wax carving etc. to make different types of jewels like bangles, bracelets, necklaces, etc. The eligibility, courses and skills needed to pursue this profession, along with job responsibilities and career prospects, are explained in the following part. Read on!
Becoming A Jeweler
Requirements
Eligibility
Creating beautiful jewelry is a talent. Those who have an inborn talent for designing are eligible to become a jeweler. The easiest way to become a jeweler is to work as an experienced jeweler’s apprentice. If you wish to gain some formal training in this discipline, you can register for formal courses in jewelry designing. There are many colleges and art schools which offer training in Computer Aided Design (CAD), molding and casting. A wide variety of courses such as diploma, advanced diploma and certification programs are available in jewelry designing. Eligibility criteria vary according to the grade of the course and the college however, most colleges ask for a basic 10+2 qualification. Diploma, advanced diploma, graduate and post graduate courses are also offered by many institutions. Online courses and distance education programs are also available. Formal training can help you become a certified jeweler.
Creating beautiful jewelry is a talent. Those who have an inborn talent for designing are eligible to become a jeweler. The easiest way to become a jeweler is to work as an experienced jeweler’s apprentice. If you wish to gain some formal training in this discipline, you can register for formal courses in jewelry designing. There are many colleges and art schools which offer training in Computer Aided Design (CAD), molding and casting. A wide variety of courses such as diploma, advanced diploma and certification programs are available in jewelry designing. Eligibility criteria vary according to the grade of the course and the college however, most colleges ask for a basic 10+2 qualification. Diploma, advanced diploma, graduate and post graduate courses are also offered by many institutions. Online courses and distance education programs are also available. Formal training can help you become a certified jeweler.
Courses Required
Various courses can give you an edge in this industry. Some of them are as:
Diploma programs
-
Jewellery Design and Marketing
-
Jewellery Design and Entrepreneurship
-
Jewelry Design and Fabrication
Certificate Programs
-
Fundamentals of Gemology
-
Fundamentals of Jewelry Design
Graduate Programs
-
Bachelor of Design Majoring in Jewellery design
Post-Graduate programs
-
Master of Arts in Metalsmithing and Jewellery
-
Post-Graduate Certificate in Jewellery Design and Exhibition
Skills
-
Good hand-eye coordination
-
Good eye in art and beauty
-
Fashion consciousness and designing skills
-
Dexterity with fingers and hands
-
Precision and attention to minute details
-
Knowledge of precious and semi-precious gems
-
Customer service skills
-
Good communication skills
-
Passion and persistence
-
Negotiation skills
-
Skill to work with diversity
-
Adaptability and flexibility
-
Computer skills
-
Self-management
-
Budgeting skills
-
Marketing and networking abilities
Roles And Responsibilities
-
A jeweler has to design sketches for jewellery and turn the design into a spectacular ornaments like bangles, bracelets, rings, pendants etc.
-
Cutting and polishing stones and gems and fixing them in the ornament.
-
Preparing wax and metal models of the ornaments using carving tools
-
Preparing molds for the ornaments
-
Repairing, restyling or polishing old ornaments either with hand tools like jeweler’s lathe or polishing wheels
-
Soldering different pieces of jewellery using a soldering iron or torch and smoothening such joints with a hand file or emery
-
Estimate the value of ornaments following the current market status
-
Consult with the customers and discuss the patterns they want and the budget they have.
-
Examine gems and other precious stones for its colour, carat, quality of cut etc. and grade them accordingly
-
Check the specific gravity of the gemstone
-
Purifying the metals
Career Prospects
Jewellery industry offers lucrative career opportunities for skilled persons. One can work as a jeweler for factories or retail outlets. Self-employment is also an option for confident individuals with marketing and business talents. There are numerous career options in this industry.
-
Jewellery Designer – is the person responsible for making designs according to the needs of the customer. One should be able to use advanced designing techniques such as computer aided designing to be a jewellery designer.
-
Bench Jeweler – works for retail jewellery units and is responsible for making new ornaments along with remodeling, repairing and polishing the old ones.
-
Jewellery Appraiser – is responsible for grading gems and maintaining important documents like sales agreements etc. One must have an in-depth knowledge of gems and precious stones and their market value for this profile.
-
Gemologist – is responsible for identifying, analyzing, grading and certifying gems and precious stones. S/he should have expertise in using computerized tools, microscopes and other grading instruments.
People are highly conscious about fashion trends and demand for designer jewellery is increasing sharply. So, there is no doubt that you can have a bright career in this industry.
Hope this article helped you to gain some information about the essentialities and career prospects of a jeweler and also about the qualifications needed. Wish you a bright career!
