Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Career in the Jewellery Industry

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
A

amyb

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 21, 2008
Messages
3
Hello,

I''ve been a lurker for a year or so - I started out simply drooling in the SMTR section (
30.gif
) but it has quickly turned into a passion I''d love to make a career out of.

I''m 21 and live in Brisbane, Australia.

I''d really appreciate some advice from the forum sages as to how I should go about this.

I have been contacting Jewellers in my area to see if any would take me on for a Certificate III in Jewellery Manufacture Apprenticeship but I haven''t had any luck so far.

My plan right now is to keep trying and if I haven''t had any offers by January 09, I will do a Diploma of Gemmology with the Gemmological Association of Australia next year and then go for an apprenticeship in 2010.

I''m planning to do the Diploma either way - at the start or end of the apprenticeship, my biggest hurdle is trying to find someone to take me on. I''m just worried that I''ll get half way through the Diploma and then get an offer and have to leave as the fees are pay upfront.

Do you have any advice?

Cheers,

Amy
 
Contact Garry Holloway, alias on Pricescope, "CutNut" He is a retailer in Australia and might have some words of advice or some words of sympathy for you. It can''t hurt.
 
I just received an email requesting that I brng my resume in!

But I don't have any experience in the jewellery industry.

What are things to include in there to show them I am the right person for the position?
 
There is nothing you can really show them except yourself. Education is secondary to personality in this business. Show them that you are comfortable with the public, and that you have great inter-personal skills. No matter what your function in the jewelry business, it is essential that you can work well with people. There is a time and place for education, but i feel it is only useful if you have a working undertstanding of its context within the industry. Best of Luck.
 
well I just came back from the interview and I was told that although I''m "pretty enough" for the jewellery industry that at 21 I''m too old and that no-one will take me on as an apprentice and to continue with my current path - starting studies next year as a jewellery valuer.
So im going to take some gold smith classes for my own interets and only train as a valuer. Lucky for me I''m just as happy to be a valuer as I am to be a jeweller.
 
Date: 10/22/2008 3:31:13 AM
Author: amyb
well I just came back from the interview and I was told that although I''m ''pretty enough'' for the jewellery industry that at 21 I''m too old and that no-one will take me on as an apprentice and to continue with my current path - starting studies next year as a jewellery valuer.
So im going to take some gold smith classes for my own interets and only train as a valuer. Lucky for me I''m just as happy to be a valuer as I am to be a jeweller.
Click to expand...
hmmm
call me
0412 523 369
tomorrow afternoon

You need 4 years Gemmo, diamond and Valuer training part time, difficult courses to be a regd valuer, and 5 years relevant experiance.
Most states have an apprentice trade course that gets most of the apprenticeship training done - then employers are more likely to give you a go. avoid hobbby goldsmith classes - waste of time.
Art / design degrees teach you to make 2-3 pieces a year = unemployable, but great ideas - all you need is a labour force ;-)
Learn CAD for sure.
Employers (like me) have had bad experiances with older apprentices as the pay is very low - most jump ship and we spend 2 years getting you to be able to be a bit productive - uuuurrrgh!

Avoid anyone who says your pretty enough
 
Contrary to what people seem to hope for from the schools, being a good valuer comes from experience, not gemological training. In my case I spent decades working at and training others to work at the bench but you’ll find other first rate people come from backgrounds in sales, auction, antique, pawn and other related fields. There are lots of paths. Almost always the best place to start in the jewelry business is at the sales counter of a retail jewelry store. You can learn a great deal there and can apply what you are learning to something that actually pays. It can pay actually pretty well if you’re good at it but people who are just filling space don't make much. In your ‘spare’ time, get the gemological training down.

I would disagree about whether being older is a problem. Perhaps for some places it is but my experience has been the opposite. I too have hired a fair number of people and I always found that the older applicants were among the best, especially at sales. I would have filled my stores sales floors with people over 40 if I could have. Some of my best employees were self described 'recovering housewives' whose children had grown up and who were looking for a new track in life. The problem was not getting enough applicants. I had more difficult with younger workers who would want to be trained and then split off to form their own jewelry shop and become a 'designer' themselves. That is to say, become the competition. They rarely seem to be successful at it but they would stay in business long enough to muck things up.

I would add that, as an appraiser, a few grey hairs actually seems to help credibility-wise.

I definitely agree that you should avoid any employer whose criteria includes that you be ‘pretty enough’.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
 
Date: 10/22/2008 7:47:43 AM
Author: denverappraiser
I would add that, as an appraiser, a few grey hairs actually seems to help credibility-wise.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
Click to expand...
I never thoght of myself as being more credible than you before Neil.
Thanks
20.gif
 
This is not an easy question to answer.The answers so far have been right on and their experiance in the trade will serve you well to listen.I discovered my love of the trade early in life(at 12 years old )and started studying at that age...started with gemology and related areas at first and went from there learning that there are many areas to consider...first and foremost it is a trade and a business...you must be well rounded by not only knowing the product but knowing how to communicate its pros and cons and also selling yourself as well.a good jewelry trade professional must have stamina...it can be draining and demanding to be a "proformer"with the general public every day working alot of hours and holidays...customer service skills and professionalism partnered with product knowledge are key to success in this trade.Knowing your product is never ending...the trade is always changing and its important you know the compitition...wholesale,retail,pre-owned,its important to know how the trade works...how people are hired and promoted...how jewelry is bought and presented.. business and scheduling hours,security concerns and organizational cultures...I suggest working for a retail store in sales to get a beginning foundation with your gem studies as you wait to find the perfect position to move into design or manufacture...also take business and marketing classes,Art,Art History, publlic speaking classes, jewelry manufacture and history classes at the university level....these are always valuable and an investment in yourself.Stay away from anyone who looks at your face before your resume and tells you that 21 is to old(idiots)...good luck!
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top