Eligibility

Jewellery designers holding a diploma in jewellery/accessory designing can be employed by leading jewellery houses. Gemologists with diplomas at the graduate level also stand a good chance for placements in the industry. Certain organizations also recruit technicians and a craftsman who may not have done courses in gemology, and provide them with on the job training for about a year.

Training

Various institutes in the country offer courses in gemology and jewellery designing. In these institutes, apart from teaching various skills, students are also provided with up-to-date knowledge regarding scientific developments in the particular field concerned. Most of these institutes offer
courses at the graduate level. 

The Gemological Institute of India, at Mumbai, offers a number of courses in Gems and Jewellery. There is a course in Gemology (DG Resident Programme), which is of duration of three and a half months. Minimum qualification for the course is for a candidate to have qualified the High School exam. 

The Institute has another course in gemology, which is a DG home study programme. It is of one year's duration, and minimum qualification for this course is also matriculation or an equivalent exam. 

The Gemological Institute of India also has a certificate course in diamond grading. The course is of three months duration. Minimum qualification for this course is the successful completion of the gemology course or an equivalent examination 

The jewellery-designing course offered at the institute is of three months duration. The fee for the course is Rs 10,000 and there are only 12 seats available. The institute also has numerous short-term courses, from two weeks' to a month's duration on jewellery casting, pearl identification and bead stringing, a course in diamond grading as per the international standards, identification, valuation, and marketing, and a short course on gemology. 

The Small Industries Service Institute at Madras offers a training programme in gem cutting and polishing which is conducted in collaboration with the Madras gems and diamond manufacturers association. It is a six-month course and students who have cleared the secondary school examination are eligible. The institute also gives preference to women. 

The Indian Diamond Institute based in Surat, offers a basic short-term course in diamond sawing, for students who have cleared the Secondary School Examination. There is also an advanced course in Diamond technology for graduates. This is of 45 weeks duration.

This institute also offers fellowships for research and development, of two years duration to postgraduates in physics/chemistry/geology. Candidates with a BE in mechanical or electrical engineering are also eligible. Among the important institutes in jewellery designing is the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council, at Jaipur. 

The Jewellery Product Development Center at Mumbai also offers short-term courses in carat soldering, introduction to jewellery designing and jewellery making (hand made). There is also a comprehensive training programme in jewellery designing, of two months duration. 

The Jewellery Product Development Center, New Delhi has courses in basic jewellery making and centrifugal casting, of one months duration, held four times a week. There are two-week long courses in electroplating and refining. The center also has a course in stone setting, which is of two weeks duration. There is also a month-long course in chain making. 

Moreover, the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi, conducts a three-year intensive diploma programme in Accessory design, which also includes jewellery designing, for students who have passed the 10+2 or equivalent exam, w with a minimum of 50% marks in the aggregate. Admission to this course is based on a competitive exam. 

The SNDT Women's University, Mumbai, has also recently introduced a jewellery-designing course, with a highly trained faculty.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

The personal attributes required in this profession include creativity, imagination, aesthetic sense, color sensitivity, good powers of observation, attention to detail, ability to concentrate, the ability to take responsibility, to work on one's own interest in and awareness of new ideas and the trends in different strata of society.