INTERMEDIATE JEWELLERY MAKING

This course is designed to help students build on and develop their knowledge and skills and to design and make their jewellery. Students choose their projects, with the tutor introducing new techniques based on individual and group needs. 

Unit Description

1. Stones and how to work with them – Gemstones can be used within a range of crafting and
   jewellery-making projects, from intricate necklaces and drop earrings to tennis bracelets and
   bespoke brooches. Knowing how to work with different kinds of gemstones for beginners can also
   translate to choosing the right stone for a piece of jewellery you are doing for yourself or as a
   commission for a customer. With so many options to choose from – including different shapes,
   cuts, sizes, weights, and finishes – knowing your diamonds from your cubic zirconias can be
   overwhelming. Choosing the right strength of gemstones for beginners is a key factor in creating
   jewellery.
   
2. Advanced Techniques – There are many pathways to take after learning the basic techniques.
   Oxidized silver is a process that many jewellers use to give sterling silver a black patina. It gives the
   jewellery an antique or tarnished look. - Inlay is a jewellery design technique where a custom-cut
   stone is set with glue into an unfilled area of the piece — no prongs. These and other techniques
   will be demonstrated and taught in this unit.
   
3. Basic Filigree – Filigree is the delicate manipulation of thin strips of metal that are woven and
   twisted to form incredible texture and detail. The process of making filigree by hand is methodical
   and time-consuming, starting with stretching metal into thin, threadlike strips. This part requires a
   lot of patience and many jewellers still often do it by hand, although now there are machines to help
   create these strips.
   
4. Setting Techniques – The stone setting is one of the essential stages of jewellery making, in which
   gemstones are attached in a metal casting. The main objective of a stone setting is to hold a gemstone securely as well as to enhance the brilliance of a gemstone by showing its cut, clarity, and colour. Jewellery manufacturers use numerous methods to set a gemstone into a jewellery item, which generally is based on the gemstone's cut and proportion.

General Purpose

The course aims at enabling participants to further develop the skills and knowledge that they need to
operate in the professional jewellery industry. The techniques taught will be used in the students’ Goldsmith shops. They will be able to create and design intricate pieces of greater value.

Conditions for Receiving Certificate

1. Attendance must be 75%.
2. All assignments MUST be submitted.
3. Assignments will NOT be marked if submitted more than seven (7) days after the deadline.

Assessments

1. Research paper on De Beers and the companies they run. (6%)
2. Quiz 1 on Gemstone Standard shapes: faceted and cabochon, Understanding the use of transparent and
   opaque stones, Birthstone, and Diamonds (5%)
3. Designing a pierced jewellery piece with a textured backing and Oxidizing and patina (7%)
4. Create a filigree jewellery piece. (10 %)
5. Make a pair of stud earrings using the tube set. (10 %)
6. Make an engagement ring. (10 %)
7. Make a stone inlaid piece. (7%)
8. Quiz 2 (5%)
9. Make a ring using the illusion setting. (10 %)
10. Make a gent’s hollow ring. (10 %)
11. Quiz 3 (5%)
12. Final exam on all that was taught inclusive of beginners course (10%)
13. The final piece is based on the Riveting setting and Mixed media. (Competition Piece)

Mode of Delivery

The course will be conducted over a period of Twelve (12) weeks in a classroom suitable for practical
sessions simultaneously. Face to Face sessions with the lecturer would be conducted for half a day for five
days per week. Students will develop their own designs and jewellery pieces with tutor guidance. The tutor will teach skills individually and in groups to enable students to develop skills according to their own design requirements
.
Examples of this could be surface patterns or metal forming techniques, or cold connections.
There will be the opportunity to explore more complex techniques, such as claw settings, press forming,
casting, and enameling techniques. Incorporating non-traditional materials is also encouraged.