Career as a jewellery designer allows you to match your creativity and business acumen with hands-on crafting skill. As a Jewellery designer you are not only designing but also making jewellery with the use of materials that include gold, silver and precious stones.

Jewellery design workspace

Career as a jewellery designer could involve producing designs for mass production or craft jewellery in smaller numbers or create customised pieces for a client.

Jewellery Design

As a jewellery designer you will need to project the following Skills:

• Creative thinking and vision to yield new ideas
• Practical application to produce a piece of jewellery which is in demand in the marketplace
• Hands-on ability to work with tools and materials
• Illustration and computer aided skills to craft designs
• Attention to detail and a good hand-eye synchronization
• Be good at organising and time-management skills alongwith the ability to work to deadlines.
• Being aware about the commercial viability and the confidence to be successful in the jewellery industry.
• Strong negotiation skills and persuasion whilst dealing with suppliers and buyers
• Commitment to one’s work.
• Be flexible and proactive in job-seeking approach. Apart from conventional methods of job seeking one can also opt for opportunities that can be sought through strong networking skills.
• Having a hardcopy or a digital jewellery design portfolio or website of one’s work is useful as it portrays one’s design skills.
• Most jewellery designers are either self-employed or work with jewellery brands or with jewellery designers.
• One can be self-employed or freelancer and also sell your designs to manufacturing companies or design and sell through craft stores, galleries or even online retailers.
• Vacancies are not advertised as often. One can look for jobs or promote oneself and network and take advantage of opportunities especially during internships or work placements.
• One can also seek employment opportunities at larger jewellery design firms like factories and workshops that manufacture jewellery.

It is also instrumental that one keep-up with continuous training throughout one’s career which will help to develop skills and keep up to date with new methods and changes in the industry.

Learning and being updated also ensure diversification and production of better work within one’s specialized niche. Courses such as goldsmithing, jewellery, metal work and silversmithing can also be pursued. Shorter skill-based courses are also offered by institutes or even commercial organisations if one so wishes to add to one’s expertise. One can pursue Professional jewellery designing courses as well which are available in areas such as setting – engraving, enamelling and gemstone cutting and carving.

Jewellery Making

Some companies also provide training in-house which is conducted and supervised by an experienced craftsperson.

Having business skills are instrumental if one wants to branch out on one’s own. Another important aspect to develop one’s career and finding what is happening in their industry is by attending trade fairs and exhibitions. Though acquiring recognition can a long road to success, but the rewards are also aplenty if one wants to grow one’s business.

Career as a jewellery designer is not limited to just jewellery designing, one can also explore in other areas like fashion design, retail selling or even buying. Aspirants can also work for galleries or, get further trained to teach in higher education. Learn all about the possibilities of jewellery design by enrolling in the 3-years BSc. in Jewellery Design offered at one of the best jewellery design institutes in Kochi.