Are you creative enough to call yourself a designer? Do you possess the precision of a skilled artisan? Now just imagine if you could combine it with the knowledge of precious stones and metals? Yes, we are talking about a career in jewellery.
Manufacturing and trading in jewellery has always been an integral part of our society since ancient times. In fact, our country is renowned for its jewellery and designs. What was earlier restricted as family business is now open to one and all. Moreover, the technical knowledge needed was a closely guarded secret and only passed on to a few from the next generation.
The current scenario is radically different. The commercialisation of this art has opened new vistas. And pursuing a career where the competition is less and the job opportunities are more is the need of the hour.
With the entry of big corporate houses such as Tatas and Reliance, opportunities have increased manifold. Aspiring designers with a degree or diploma in jewellery management, designing or manufacturing will definitely be the choice.
Not only this, there is a dearth of skilled designers in the foreign market too especially in the U.S., Europe and Hongkong which are big names when it comes to trading in gems and jewellery.
Who can take it up
The eligibility criteria is Plus Two (arts/science/commerce/equivalent). A three-year diploma in jewellery designing & manufacture technology will develop individual creativity, understanding and skills employed in jewellery design and manufacturing. It also includes one semester of industry internship in which a student gets the unique opportunity to work with the industry for six months.
Different clients have different tastes and building your brand is possible after theoretical knowledge is combined with practical knowledge.
“The kind of jewellery that needs to be designed depends on the kind of people are you targeting. Also, as a fresher it’s very important to design something completely uniqueto differentiate yourself from the rest in the market,” says Bharathi Raviprakash, owner of Studio Tara, Chennai.
Internships
Shilpa Deorukhkar Jadhav, Senior faculty, Design Department, IIGJ, Andheri, says, “Internships help you gain knowledge about general work functions and learn more about industries and fields that may be of interest to you. An internship will allow you to explore and create work experiences tailored to your specific interests and goals. You’ll make contacts that can help you answer questions about potential careers.” It also helps you build organisational, written and interpersonal communication skills. A strong academic background is always great, but it is not enough to indicate whether or not a candidate would be good in a specific work environment. “Employers expect a strong candidate to possess confidence, good communication and problem-solving skills, and the ability to work well with others,” she adds.
Bharathi Raviprakash says that today jewellery is not limited to being just worn. It is a part of shoes, bags, clutches, hair accessories and that’s the reason one needs to keep up with the times. “You have to know what people would want. The more innovative ideas you come up with, the better it is,” she adds.
Job prospects
A piece of jewellery canbe added to just about anything to glam it up. And it is here that youngsters can use their imagination and think of ways to use it either for footwear, on a chain or in a bag.
Or let your imagination run further and you could even make it a part of a belt you sport, or as a hair accessory, even on key chains.
With the number of people employed in this industry expected to go up in the coming years it is time to give it a serious thought.
At the entry level, jewellery designers earn upward of Rs. 2.5 lakh and at the senior level, it is Rs. 8 lakh.
Expertspeak
Gautam Ghanasingh, Creative Director of Ghanasingh Be True, says, “I took it up as a challenge to create pieces and keep up with the innovative technology in jewellery manufacturing. I did my graduation from H.R. College and alongside received training in various diamond companies.”
He adds that there are various institutes where you can learn jewellery designing. “One should do an internship to understand the exact way of designing a line. The level of imagination and innovation it takes to create a line comes only when you actually do an internship as you get to learn from seasoned jewellers.”
