Jewellery Design, Bench Skills and Business

Description

The Jewellery Design, Bench Skills and Business diploma program provides you with the hands-on experience and skills necessary for a successful career in the jewellery industry. With access to industry experts, seasoned faculty and studios equipped with the latest technologies, you gain valuable expertise in stone setting, jewellery repair, and the creation of custom jewellery using hand fabrication and finishing techniques. Your practical skillset is further complemented through the use of computer aided design (CAD) software, which is of growing importance in the jewellery industry. With first-hand experience working in and managing the campus jewellery store, this unique program helps you broaden your focus to sales, marketing, accounting and business practices suitable for small businesses, and for creating and managing an online presence.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the program may find employment in a variety fields in the jewellery industry, including design, repair, production, business, sales, merchandizing, and supply.  Specific roles may include jewellery designer or repair person; stone setter; goldsmith; studio jeweller; and jewellery store manager, owner or merchandizer.

Program Learning Outcomes

The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

1. create functional and aesthetic jewellery and metalwork to meet industry standards and consumer trends;
2. apply casting techniques to wax carved and 3-D printed models;
3. perform complex multi-step jewellery repairs using industry standard techniques to meet client requests and specifications;
4. use commercial and hand-made settings for faceted and cabochon stones and jewel clusters;
5.  produce illustrations and renderings to communicate jewellery designs that meet client specifications;
6. build designs with digital manufacturing technologies, such as CAD and 3-D printers to produce industry quality jewellery items;
7. consult and collaborate with clients and industry stakeholders to determine need, seek feedback, promote, and sell products;
8. set up and operate a small jewellery business in adherence with legal and government requirements;
9. assess the cultural and historical significance of jewellery-making across diverse populations to inform practice, design, and to meet client needs;
10. use environmentally sustainable practices and ethically sourced materials in jewellery making and design to meet the needs of diverse clients and build a reputable business;
11. employ gemmological instruments in the identification of commonly used gems;
12. promote a jewellery business using creative content strategies and platforms appropriate to the intended client.

Program Progression

The following reflects the planned progression for full-time offerings of the program.

Fall Intake

• Sem 1: Fall 2025
• Sem 2: Winter 2026
• Sem 3: Fall 2026
• Sem 4: Winter 2027

Admission Requirements

• Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent OR mature student status
• Grade 12 English (C or U)

Mature students, non-secondary school applicants (19 years or older), and home school applicants may also be considered for admission. Eligibility may be met by applicants who have taken equivalent courses, upgrading, completed their GED, and equivalency testing. For complete details refer to: www.georgiancollege.ca/admissions/academic-regulations/

Applicants who have taken courses from a recognized and accredited post-secondary institution and/or have relevant life/learning experience may also be considered for admission; refer to the Credit for Prior Learning website for details:
www.georgiancollege.ca/admissions/credit-transfer/

Graduation Requirements

22 Program Courses
2 Communications Courses
3 General Education Courses

Graduation Eligibility

To graduate from this program, the passing weighted average for promotion through each semester, from year to year, and to graduate is 60%. Additionally, a student must attain a minimum of 50% or a letter grade of P (Pass) or S (Satisfactory) in each course in each semester unless otherwise stated on the course outline.

Program Tracking 

The following reflects the planned course sequence for full-time offerings of the Fall intake of the program. Where more  than one intake is offered  contact the program co-ordinator for the program tracking.

Plan of Study Grid

Semester 1		Hours
Program Courses
JEWL 1001	Jewellery Fabrication 1	42
JEWL 1006	Jewellery Drawing and Design	42
JEWL 1010	Metal Finishing	42
JEWL 1011	Jewellery Techniques	42
JEWL 2003	Introduction to Gemmology	42
Communications Course
Select 1 course from the communications list during registration.		42
General Education Course
Select 1 course from the general education list during registration.		42
	Hours	294
Semester 2
Program Courses
JEWL 1003	Jewellery Repair 1	42
JEWL 1012	Jewellery Fabrication 2	42
JEWL 1013	Professional Principles and Practices for Jewellers and Goldsmiths	84
JEWL 1014	Photography for Jewellery Promotion	42
JEWL 2010	CAD 1	42
JEWL 2011	Stone Setting 1	42
Communications Course
Select 1 course from the communications list during registration.		42
	Hours	336
Semester 3
Program Courses
JEWL 1004	Modelmaking and Casting	42
JEWL 2014	Jewellery Repair 2	42
JEWL 2015	Stone Setting 2	42
JEWL 2016	Sales and Marketing	84
JEWL 2017	CAD 2	42
General Education
Select 1 course from the general education list during registration.		42
	Hours	294
Semester 4
Program Courses
JEWL 2018	Advanced Modelmaking	42
JEWL 2004	Stone Setting 3	42
JEWL 2019	Jewellery Trade Business Practices	84
JEWL 2020	CAD 3	42
JEWL 2021	Jewellery Repair 3	42
HSTY 2003	History of Jewellery and Gemstones - Business Perspectives	42
General Education Course
Select one course from the General Education list during registration.		42
	Hours	336
	Total Hours	1260

Graduation Window

Students unable to adhere to the program duration of two years (as stated above) may take a maximum of four years to complete their credential. After this time, students must be re-admitted into the program, and follow the curriculum in place at the time of re-admission.

Disclaimer: The information in this document is correct at the time of publication. Academic content of programs and courses is revised on an ongoing basis to ensure relevance to changing educational objectives and employment market needs. 

Program outlines may be subject to change in response to emerging situations, in order to facilitate student achievement of the learning outcomes required for graduation. Components such as courses, progression, coop work terms, placements, internships and other requirements may be delivered differently than published.