Back to the stone age with glee

To fulfil the demands and needs of customers in the country and abroad, these industries are coming out with new and trendy designs. As a result, a career in jewellery design has become a very attractive option in India and developed countries.

Roles and responsibilities

The jewellery industry includes bench jewellers, jewellery designers and gemologists, and marketing and overall management experts. Bench jewellers use different common and specialised tools for designing, casting and manufacturing new varieties of jewellery, setting stones and adjusting or repairing pieces such as necklaces, rings, pendants, earrings etc.

Gemologists study the quality and value of gemstones. Jewellery designers come out with designs for the jewellery. They prepare sketches by hand or using computer-aided design programmes such as CAD/CAM. As in any other industry, marketing and management of the overall business is important even in this field too. Considering the tremendous growth and scope of jewellery industries and the need for skilled manpower in this field, some colleges have launched a 3-year BBA degree. “The course contents are very carefully chosen by both academics and industrialists to fulfil the needs of the industry,” says Prof Madhav Shanbagh, Director of Manipal Institute of Jewellery Management (MIJM).

“By undergoing the six-semester course at MIJM, students are equipped with the necessary skills,” he adds. For this course minimum qualification required is 10+2 in any discipline. Diploma holders can directly get entry into the third semester.