[Jewelry making - Article 00083] - Re: [Orchid] JA Certification

[Donna E. Shimazu]

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    I originally sent this email directly to Ted 3/31/04.  After reading
    other responses, I thought I would forward this to Orchid in case it
    may be of interest to others. Donna 

    Hi Ted, 

    I can't tell you about the full spectrum, but I can tell you a
    little of my experience. 

    I already had 10+ years experience so I did not want to pay for all
    the various levels.  I inquired about how minimize testing and was
    told about prerequisite or qualifying tests (different for each
    level).  I opted for the master bench jeweler prerequisite test.  If
    I recall correctly, it was a 5 hour practical test.  I had to repair
    two chains  (one broken in two pieces and other needed a jump ring
    attached), carve a multi-stone wax ring (CZ fancy cut stone and
    accent stones supplied) and channel set a 5-stone wedding band
    (casting and CZs provided).  One thing to remember, carefully wrap
    each repair in crisp tissue paper and bag in clean ziplocks. 
    Presentation is a big deal though not expressly stated up front. 
    Points were deducted because I put the cleaned, polished pieces in
    new, heavy duty ziplocks with no tissue paper wrapping. 

    Once I passed the prereq. test, I went on to do the master bench
    jeweler test.  It was made up of three pieces that had to be
    completed in 36 hours.  Obviously, you are proctored by a JA
    approved proctor, but you can break up the 36 hours into reasonable
    chunks.  Your proctor just clocks you in and out and takes
    possession of the materials during the down time.  You are not
    allowed any help, but you can look at books, notes, etc.  It is
    assumed that you have all the necessary tools at your disposal
    (rolling mill, drawplates a must.  Ingot mold is good just in case.)
     It is also assumed that you have all the solders except for the
    platinum solder (very little is provided so you may want to have
    some of your own handy). 

    The three practical tests that I took were (1) an 18k yellow gold
    pendant with a large emerald cut CZ and bead set round CZ melee in
    the bail, (2) a platinum ring with oval CZ center stone and two
    straight CZ baguettes/classic three stone ring, and (3) a hinged,
    clasped sterling box with a 14k yellow gold "X" appliqued to the top
    and bead set with round CZs.  How you split up the 36 hours across
    the three jobs is up to you.  You will have to make up time on your
    stronger areas of expertise so you can take more time on areas where
    you are not as proficient.  I would suggest that you look at all
    three projects briefly, clock out, and take time to think and dream
    about your approach so you don't burn valuable time. 

    Planning is absolutely critical.  It is better to take some time out
    to think before starting.  You are provided with line illustrations
    of various views (not all) and raw materials (stones and metal). 
    The illustrations are not to scale so you might want to quickly
    block out measurements in scale (driven by the stones you are
    provided with) so you'll be able to allocate how you want to roll,
    draw, etc. your metal.  For the pendant and the ring, I was provided
    with 2.5mm square rod stock.  I had to figure out how much to roll
    into flat stock or ring shank and how much to draw into wire.  You
    are not given much material, just enough to make the project.  If
    you miscalculate, you'll have to waste time pouring ingots (hence
    the ingot mold) out of the scrap, losing valuable time. 

    The scoring is very picky.  Take great care to polish as you go when
    fabricating.  Countersink (at minimum) or a jour your bead setting. 
    Make sure you have no gaps under any prongs or at the girdles.  For
    the box, which has a domed lid, remove hammer marks.  I left even,
    decorative peening on the lid interior because I like the hand of
    the maker when it is artfully done.  I got downgraded for not
    removing tool marks and that was frustrating since I put them there!
     I had used a wooden dapping block and wood daps.  So beware, no
    tool marks.  Better yet, use a hydraulic press if you have one. 

    Make sure you polish and clean absolutely.  Once again, wrap in
    crisp tissue and ziplock or box. 

    After completing the practical exam.  You will have to take two
    written exams.  These come after you have turned in and passed the
    practical tests. One written exam is open book and the other is
    closed book.  You are timed so you really don't have time to look up
    information though you might want a jewelry dictionary, maybe Oppi
    Untracht's book and reference books on gems, metals, etc. and a
    calculator handy.  The tests assume general knowledge across a
    fairly wide number of topics.  They assume you know repair,
    fabricating, production techniques (molding, wax injecting, casting,
    finishing, alloying, setting, gemology, calculating metal weights,
    conversions).  They assume you have experience with platinum, both
    fabricated and cast.  It would be beneficial to read the platinum
    info put out by Jurgen Maerz.  There were a surprising number of
    platinum questions. 

    I don't know that you could really study for the written tests. 
    Given the time constraints, you have to have a lot of general
    knowledge top of mind.  The test is multiple choice and I think you
    need a 75% to pass. 

    I hope this helps you.  If you have questions, drop me an email and
    I'll try to help if I can without giving any overt answers.  You
    might try looking up Michael Matthews' (I think) website.  He used
    to have posted pictures of his three master test projects. 

    Best,
    Donna Shimazu
    Master Bench Jeweler

    P.S.  Look up www.professionaljeweler.com.  Go to the archives and
    then to the JA bench certification area.  There are topics and
    how-to's that you would be expected to know.


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