[Jewelry making - Article 00429] - Re: [Orchid] So, ya wanna be a jeweler?

[David Phelps]

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    Oh, to be young and just starting again... well, maybe not. 

    Elaine, I love your career outline. I would add that your protege
    should get a part-time job in an established trade shop while she
    attends school. She'll get a real education as to what really goes on
    behind the scenes in the jewelry biz. Most shops I know of and have
    been a part of always need someone to be a gopher, to take in work,
    order stuff, keep the metal and findings inventory up to speed,
    deliver jobs, keep the ultrasonic full and the like. She will see all
    kinds of jewelry, from silver craft style pieces to really exotic,
    rare and high-dollar pieces, and all different levels of quality, of
    both materials and craftsmanship. She will meet many different kinds
    of people, with many different skills and outlooks on jewelry. She
    will also be exposed to all of the different facets of the industry.
    She'll probably even be able to start drawing and bending a little
    wire during the slow times or when someone's on vacation and there's
    an open bench. 

    What I love about our industry is it's multi-level nature. There are
    so many different things to learn and so many disciplines, any one of
    which can provide a lifetime of study and practice to become truly
    knowledgeable and proficient. She may find after a short stint that
    what she really wants to do is learn gemology. Or she may discover a
    real talent for stone cutting or setting. Computer design or hand
    carving wax might really turn her on. She could see a superb example
    of engraving and decide that she wants to spend her life learning and
    perfecting that ancient skill. She might even find that she wants to
    know all there is to know about the history of jewelry from the first
    shell and bone necklaces to the origins of the Crown Jewels. Or she
    may find that making her own jewelry designs from scratch and
    interacting with people all around the country is what will bring
    her the most joy. There is a good living to be made in any of these
    fields. The only way she can find out what is within her soul is to
    immerse herself within the trade. 

    I would tell her to become a trade-shop groupie. 

    You've got to warn her though, once it gets under her skin, there's
    no turning back! 

Gee whiz, I love this business!
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