The Road to Becoming a Jeweller (part one)

People often ask me how I got into jewellery in the first place, so here is a little bit of information for people looking to learn jewellery themselves.

There are several different roads that one can take to become a jeweller. There is the traditional apprenticeship path, the university degree road or the self-taught-with-lots-of-time-and-practice route. There are pros and cons to each method, but they all have one thing in common, a jeweller's education is a career long process.

Image with thanks to the talented Leunig

Trade-Based Jewellers
An apprenticeship is the traditional method to become a jeweller. Over four years you learn all the skills associated with trade-based jewellery from polishing to repairs to making settings for diamond rings etc, etc.
Arts-Based Jewellers
University degrees and arts school courses are the option of choice for those wanting a more creative education. The basic skill set of sawing, drilling, soldering etc, is taught, then students are encouraged to spend time exploring design within a structure of practical assessments and exams.
Self-Taught Jewellers
There are amazing books, plenty of short courses and jewellers all over the place who are happy to share their knowledge. This makes learning the trade on your own very possible. Community arts schools are a great way to start learning a few skills and with plenty of time and practice, it is very possible to become a self-taught jeweller.

Unfortunately there can be a bit of segregation in the jewellery industry between trade-based jewellers and arts-based/self-taught jewellers. Some don't believe arts-based or self-taught jewellers are as good as those who have completed an apprenticeship, due to a lack of skills or speed when undertaking traditional tasks. On the flip side of the coin, what arts-based and self-taught jewellers lack in speed, they often make up for in design by pushing the boundaries and creating cutting edge pieces of wearable artwork.

Image with thanks to the talented Leunig

But at the end of the day, this jeweller believes that given plenty of time, experience and an open mind, every jeweller is capable of great things whether trade-based, arts-based or self-taught.
I'll tell you about my personal journey to becoming a jeweller next time.

Love from The Jeweller. xx