As simple and as appealing a necklace seems on a neckline, a great deal of effort will have gone into its creation. Becoming a jewellery specialist can be a fulfilling career but requires mastering a very special set of skills.

Have you ever wondered what these skills might be? If so, then we’ve got you covered. Read on and you can learn about the five surprising key skills you need for a career as a jewellery specialist. Dive right in!

1. Research

Perhaps the most critical skill of a jewellery specialist is to be to be able to identify various types of stones and jewels, as well as differentiating the real ones from the fake ones.

You may be asked to explain the provenance of a particular jewellery item, or you could also be asked to judge the price of pre-owned jewellery that has been passed down for generations. And who knows, the mistake of missing a few zeros at the end of the price could cost someone, or your own business, dearly.

To be a jewellery specialist, you must have an eye for research and be familiar with credible sources to get the right information. You might have to scroll through history books, visit some ancient sites, or maybe even do some serious online digging but, before concluding, you must fact check all possibilities. Having a keen interest in history in general will set you up to succeed in this field.

Good research skills will also help you keep up to date on the novel methods and technologies evolving in the jewel sector, as well as the practices that were used in the past. Staying up to to date with modern methods and technology will further help you refine your practice and deliver unique quality results to your clientele.

2. Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are another great asset for a jewel specialist. As a jewellery specialist, you must be able to explain the intricacies of a design and the attached price of a gem or item of jewellery. Plus, at times, it may not be the jewel but your interpersonal skills that sell the piece.

While investing in a prized piece of jewellery, people are quite inquisitive before taking the plunge. Your customers may like to hear the inspiration behind a particular design, get a piece of custom jewellery created for them, or they might be keen to know the future value of their investment. In all these scenarios, jewel specialists with great interpersonal skills can instil a sense of confidence just by communicating effectively.

Apart from the customers, jewellery designing and selling require teamwork. So, you must also ensure good communication within the team and be able to convey their ideas and vision with clarity.

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3. Practical Jewellery Skills

Of course, practical skills are a must-have in the jewellery design and manufacturing sector. You will need great hand-eye coordination as you may have to work on very intricate designs and pricey gems and metals. You must know the difference between handling a diamond and handling a pearl. Or how different gems require different setting techniques.

Similarly, the knowledge of all the tools and methods is another important skill. There are various jewellery design software applications like Jewelry CAD Dream, MatrixGold, Adobe Illustrator, LibreCAD, and as a specialist you must have practical experience of using one or more of these. Further, you must know how to use relevant equipment such as a jewellers’ saw and cutter, together with practical knowledge of handling different metals and gemstones.

There are also various methods which you’ll need to master, including polishing, cleaning, casting, jewel mounting, chasing, electroplating and more. The best way to learn these is to attend training courses from professionals or assist another jewel specialist to polish your skills. And once you have trained, continual practice and learning is a must to enhance your skills.

4. Negotiation

Negotiation skills come into play when jewellers have to source raw materials and sell their products. Hence good negotiation skills, whether with buyers or sellers, are important in earning a better margin.

From the metal to the gemstones, to weight and the design, a lot of things go into finalising the price of a piece of jewellery. Yet not all customers understand the reasons behind the price of jewellery, and it becomes difficult for many untrained jewellers to cut a mutually beneficial deal.

At the same time, good negotiation skills mean making the client aware of and impressed by the intricate design of the jewellery, or the cut and clarity of the gem, and many other factors. Classic and authentic jewellery is considered a status symbol, and a good negotiator knows how to capitalise on this.

While sourcing metals and gemstones from various dealers that mediate between the mines and jewellers, good negotiation skills will help you to source materials at the best prices. Even if these prices are government-regulated, there are various ad hoc expenses you can still negotiate to get a great deal.  

5. Creativity

Without creativity, jewellery is nothing but some metal and stones, but it can be a constant challenge for jewellery designers to come up with new and unique ideas all the time. To be able to do this, you will need a creative mind and vision. And even once conceptualized, giving a design a physical shape can involve a great deal of creative thinking as well.

Creative jewellers take inspiration from various things around them, including nature and man-made objects. There are also plenty of ways different jewellery experts can perceive and be inspired by the same thing. The most creative ones know how to stand out and deliver unusually appealing jewels that many will wish to own.

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Wrapping up!

These are the five basic skills that jewellery specialists will need, and we hope that by outlining these we have helped you understand if you are a good fit for this career. Make sure that you are honest when working on these skills and with time you’ll see a great deal of difference in yourself.

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