[Jewelry making - Article 00261] - Re: [Orchid] Seeking entry level position

[AlanRevere]

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Dear Kathlyn,

    I read your post and wanted to respond in a short note, but there is
    just too much to say. I hope that this lengthy response gives you and
    others a better understanding of how to make the leap from an
    academic Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (BFA) to a job as a jeweler. 

    The jewelry industry expects entry level workers to have a set of
    useable bench skills. If you want to work in a jewelry store, a
    manufacturing shop or a trade shop you have to be worth the money
    they pay you. Unfortunately, those skills are difficult to develop in
    academic jewelry programs such as the one you attended for your BFA.
    While college programs certainly have their merits, they generally do
    not teach the specific fabrication, setting and repair skills that
    are needed in jewelry jobs. And like you, most graduates with BFA
    and MFA degrees sadly discover that their time and money have not
    given them the skills applicable to jewelry work in the commercial
    industry. But that is not the goal of such programs. Of course, there
    is no real reason why college jewelry programs could not prepare
    students better for the working world, but that is a long and very
    political story... 

    So if you want to enter this field as a bench jeweler, my suggestion
    is to attend a professional trade school program, one that will give
    you the skills you need in a short time. Here at the Revere Academy
    of Jewelry Arts in San Francisco, we teach the specific skills that
    jewelers and repair technicians use, and much more. These skills, 
such
    as ring sizing, chain repair and prong setting, are covered in our
    classes. We teach a lot more than that in areas of design, gemology,
    granulation, etc. You can learn bench skills two ways here. You can
    either enroll in my 8 week Jewelry Technician Intensive (the next
    one is Oct-Dec) or take the same material as individual 3-day classes
    during our open session. (We are also offering some of these 3-day
    classes as part of our Revere Academy East in North Carolina at the
    end of October.) All of this is on our website: 
www.revereacademy.com. 

    After graduation, some of our students, the ones most serious about a
    career in this field, take the first level of the Jewelers of
    America's Certification exams. It is a challenging 14-hour bench
    skills test, all in gold. Passing the test and becoming certified as
    a JA Bench Jeweler Technician, is a significant and also very
    realizable achievement. At that point, doors that appeared to be
    closed, open up. It is a great way to start off a career in jewelry.

    Kathlyn, I just checked out your website and looked at your work.
    You did a great job! Your jewelry shows lots of commitment and
    promise. I am impressed by both your designs and the professional
    appearance. Now you need to decide if you really want to be a
    jeweler. If so, take the steps to make that concept a reality, just
    like taking an idea and making it into a piece of jewelry. 

    Craft your life. 

Sincerely,
Alan

Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts, Inc.
760 Market Street Suite 900
San Francisco California
www.revereacademy.com
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