Jewellery designer-maker

As a jewellery designer-maker, you would:

• discuss design ideas with your client
•  produce designs and scale drawings by hand or with CAD software
•  cut, shape and set precious stones and metals with hand and machine tools
•  repair or restore jewellery and silverwork to its original condition
•  finish items by polishing, enamelling and engraving
•  check the quality of finished products

You would also market and sell your work, if you're self-employed.

We've identified this as a potential green job

For a jewellery designer-maker to be a green job, you could:

• use recycled materials and gemstones
•  choose energy saving equipment in the workshop
•  use biodegradable or recycled packaging for jewellery orders

Find out more about green careers

• design skills and knowledge
• the ability to work well with your hands
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• customer service skills
• the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
• the ability to use your initiative
• excellent verbal communication skills
• ambition and a desire to succeed
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

You can get into this job through:

• a university course
• a college course
• an apprenticeship
• specialist courses run by a professional body

If you're working for a jewellery design or jewellery-making company, you could become a:

• lead designer
•  merchandiser
•  buyer
•  creative director

You might become self-employed and sell your designs to manufacturers or directly to clients. You could also create products from your designs and sell them through galleries, craft centres, in shops and online.