5 of the Best Educational Programs for Aspiring Bench Jewelers...

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Magazine 5 of the Best Educational Programs for Aspiring Bench Jewelers

The art and craft of jewelry making can be taughtfor a fee

Features By Martha C. White This story appears in the May 2013 issue of JCK magazine Learning the art of jewelry-making used to be a family affair. Children would grow up in the business and acquire the skillsmetalsmithing, stone-setting, and castingneeded to be a craftsperson. But times are changing, and educational programs that equip novice bench jewelers or designers with the abilities they need have been a boon to the industry. Theres a tremendous need for bench jewelers now because most of the World War II bench jewelers are retiring by the dozen and were not seeing a lot of children following in their fathers footsteps, says David Peters, director of education and Texas Institute of Jewelry Technology student Miranda Wiedenfeld prepares waxes for casting. industry relations for Jewelers of America. The quickest way to get them trained is to send them to school. The nations best jewelry schools are located throughout the

country and offer programs of varying lengths and costs. Weve tracked down details on five of the best known:

New Approach School for Jewelers

The New Approach School for Jewelers in Franklin, Tenn., offers short intensive courses to learn a particular skilllike five-day workshops ($1,044 each) on such topics as stone-setting, bench repair, and wax carvingon top of two more comprehensive programs, the eight-week Jewelry Technician Program and the 12-week Graduate Bench Jeweler Program. The thing that sets us apart is the way in which we teach, says owner and president Blaine Lewis. Magnification techniques ensure every student in the room sees every detail of whats being taught.
CAD/CAM students at work at TIJT: Once finished, designs are transmitted to a milling machine that makes a wax replica for casting.

NASJs Jewelry Technician Program costs $7,360.56. (The amount is based on cost of materials and fluctuates from year to year as metal costs change.) The Graduate Bench Jeweler Program costs $11,161.88.

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Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts

The Revere Academy in San Francisco offers two different diploma programs and two options for the time frame in which the training is completed. If students take open sessionsone- to five-day versions of the 11 courses they needthey can get their Jewelry Technician diploma in as little as six weeks. Or they can spread out their education over a longer period. Open session is a shorter time commitment and also has greater flexibility, says assistant director Christine Dhein. The alternative is an eight-week intensive full-time format. Its the same diploma, Dhein says, but there are added benefits. Some of the extra time is spent on guest speakers and field trips to other studios and galleries, for example. Reveres more advanced Graduate Jeweler diploma program takes between three and five months to cover the 11 classes in the technician program plus 11 additional classes, some more advanced in the same subjects, others on topics such as design, metalsmithing, and rendering. Tuition and fees total $6,548 for the Jewelry Technician program and $8,289 for the intensive course. The cost of the Graduate Jeweler program varies, depending on which of these courses a student chooses. Dhein says Revere helps place students at jobs all over the country and the school has a Facebook alumni page where employers connect with Revere grads as well.

California Institute of Jewelry Training

The California Institute of Jewelry Training in Carmichael, Calif., once had a six-month module-based program, but executive director Dee Rouse Huth says the school recently redesigned its curriculum to better cater to students short on time or money. We are concentrating more on the gemology and jewelry appraisal courses, she says. The institutes 18-week Certificate in Jewelry Arts is $10,500 for tuition and tools; the 24-week Diploma in Advanced Jewelry Arts costs $14,175 for tuition and tools. CIJT also offers the MasterValuer Jewelry Appraisal Program. It was the first jewelry-specific appraisal program, and we have students and schools throughout the U.S. and Canada as well as Korea, Huth says. The course is a distance program and a three-day workshop. Students graduate with the accreditation of Registered MasterValuer Professional.
Works by California Institute of Jewelry Training instructor David Preston and graduate apprentice jeweler William Gable

The Gemological Institute of America

The Gemological Institute of America has campuses in Carlsbad, Calif., and New York City as well as 11

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international campuses around the globe. At its flagship campus in Carlsbad, it offers programs in Applied Jewelry Arts, Jewelry Design, and CAD/CAM as well as graduate programs in jewelry, gemology, diamonds, and colored stones. On-campus tuition is approximately $19,150 for the 26-week Graduate Gemologist program and $15,850 for the 26-week Graduate Jeweler program. GIA also offers a roster of distance-learning courses and programs.

Texas Institute of Jewelry Technology

At the Texas Institute of Jewelry Technology, located at Paris Junior College in Paris, Texas, students can get certificates and associate degrees in jewelry and watch technology. It takes four semesters, or 16 months, to earn a certificate; students are in class from about 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. We train our students for the industry, says Ulla Raus, division chairwoman of the Texas Institute of Jewelry Technology. We have an advisory board thats made up of a lot of industry people. They advise us as to what we should be teaching, she says, adding that the focus is on current skills, such as laser welding.
Courtesy of Bruce Duncan

Jewelry certificate tuition and fees cost $13,759, while watch certificate tuition and fees cost $11,064 (both figures are for out-of-state students). The program also offers shorter certificates in gemology, CAD, watch technology, casting, and bench technician skills. Since Paris Junior

Iraq war veteran William Gable completed the CIJT jewelry arts and gemology programs with honors.

College is an accredited community college, students may qualify for Pell Grants and housing, and meal plans are available.

Good Education
These five designers say a proper training helped launch their jewelry careers. Belle Brooke Belle Brooke Designs, Los Angeles; bellebrooke.net Took Reveres nine-week intensive in 2004: In terms of skills, I feel confident now. I can pretty much create anything I can think of, says Brooke, a 2012 American Gem Trade Association Spectrum Award winner. William Travis Kukovich William Travis Jewelry, Chapel Hill, N.C.; williamtravisjewelry.com Took TIJTs Jewelry Technology and Gemology programs in 1989: I
Brookes sterling silver Oscuro Twist Pendant with chalcedony and diamonds;

learned a level of precision there thats unmatched, says Kukovich, who won six AGTA Spectrum Awards between 1996 and 2013. Fine jewelry is

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$4,600

very detail-oriented. You really have to make it perfect. He debuted his retail line in 2004; his pieces have been worn by celebs like Miley Cyrus

and Kevin Costner. Margo Konikoff Margalita Designs, NYC; margalitadesigns.com Attended CIJT in 2010: The environment encouraged camaraderie and gave me a lot of one-on-one time with teachers, says Konikoff, who recently opened her own business. Last year, she began an apprenticeship making platinum jewelry and was promoted to the bench after just a month. Genevieve Yang Genevieve Yang, Santa Rosa, Calif.; genevieveyang.com A year in Reveres graduate program in 2006: I credit Revere with everything thats happened to me, Yang says. In 2008, she was a finalist for the Saul Bell Design Award; a year later she won first place for bracelets in the Jewelry Arts Awards. In 2011, Yang won first place for the Niche Awards in silver and she was a finalist in the 2012 and 2013 awards. Last year, she was chosen as a JCK Rising Star. Bree Richey Bree Richey Designs, Boston; breericheydesigns.com Attended Revere in 1999 and earned the Jewelers of America Bench Jeweler Certification: In just four months, you get a really good overview, Richey says of the Revere program. After completing the course, she apprenticed for three years before launching her own business.
Yangs Crescent Moon/Stars Flip ring in oxidized sterling silver with diamonds; $2,700

JCK 5: Training Ways

Here are some questions to ask when evaluating programs: 1. What skills do I want to acquire? Decide at the outset if you need a broad-based overview of the craft, or if you want to hone a specific skill set. 2. Whats the time commitment? While administrators and alumni say full-time immersive experiences are terrifically valuable, that shouldnt discourage anyone from learning in bite-size pieces.
GIA A GIA student hard at work

3. How much will this cost? Like time, cost will be a big consideration, especially if you plan to give up your main source of income while in school or if you plan to live on campus.

4. How much hands-on time will I get? Book learning is a good start, but make sure youll be able to spend

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quality time with equipment as well. 5. Will I need a job post- graduation? The best schools offer placement help and will be able to give examples of alumni theyve placed. To receive the latest jewelry news and blogs every day, subscribe to JCKs e-newsletter here. 2013 Reed Exhibitions, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Use of this website is subject to its Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Website design and management by TMG, a custom media firm. 1129 20th Street NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036.

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