Jewellery design is a very creative and artistic career - however to compete in the marketplace, students must be properly trained so they can translate their ideas into practical, functional pieces.
The NCAD offers jewellery design within its four-year B.Des in craft design. Students must complete the first (core) year in art and design, then enter the craft department for a further three years of specialisation in metals and jewellery.
Head of the metals and jewellery area Derek McGarry says that though most students specialise in jewellery design, they are given the skills to work in different areas of metal products design.
"The students are taught all the basic skills needed for metalwork, such as soldering, casting, riveting and filing. They also learn specialist jewellery skills like electroplating, metal colouring and anodising, enamelling, stone setting and silversmithing."
The college has an annual sponsored silver design competition and undertakes some commissioned projects for the corporate sector; this, McGarry says, allows students to experience areas of design they may not have previously considered as career options. "They could be designing teapots, cutlery or plaques and awards for pubs and restaurants."
McGarry says though the pieces don't have to be functional, they must be well made and based on sound designs. "We're trying to break new ground, to encourage the students to be innovative and fresh, but craftsmanship is essential."
The job opportunities for jewellery designers are "better than ever", according to McGarry. "Sales of crafts were up 80 per cent last year," he says.
Ambitious graduates can go straight into creating their own designs. However many will work for established jewellers for the first few years after college. "Jewellery design is a relatively inexpensive to set up, however it's often a good idea to gain experience with other designers and build up your reputation by showing your work frequently."
McGarry admits that it's not a very lucrative career, but says money is not the reason people choose the job. "People who make jewellery for a living are passionate about art work. It's not easy money but the work is immensely enjoyable, particularly when you're making your own designs." As with any creative job, jewellery design is very competitive and, says McGarry, graduates from the NCAD course attend weekend courses with the Crafts Council to extend their skills base and ensure they are maintaining standards.
Since 1995 the Crafts Council has also run a two-year, full-time course in jewellery design and production skills. Unlike the NCAD course the Crafts Council has a specific remit of training craftspeople for the Irish jewellery industry, as course trainer and administrator Jane Huston explains. "Ireland used to have a really vibrant jewellery industry. Then in the mid-1950s mass production came along and slowly, with recession after recession, craftspeople started to disappear and the skills level dropped."
In the 1960s and 1970s, Kilkenny Design began training people in traditional jewellery design and the Crafts Council was established to continue and strengthen this work.
The full-time course is fully funded and students also receive a grant of £80 a week, however the number of places is very limited, with only 12 students accepted every two years. "Applicants have to prove that they have the desire and the dexterity to be in the industry. It's not enough to like jewellery, we want people who will advance the jewellery industry in Ireland." Huston describes jewellery design as being like "miniature engineering" and says students must have a love of working with their hands; have the ability to think in three dimensions and be good problem-solvers.
The Crafts Council gets calls from workshops across Europe who are looking to employ Irish jewellery designers. "If you are well trained, you'll never want for work."
