In answer to the question about entering the jewelry repair
business, I am fairly certain that the majority of bench
jewelers working today learned primarily at the bench, on the
job. They most likely gained their knowledge either by sitting
next to somebody who knows more than they do, or by trial and
error.
There are other metods for gaining the skills of jewelry repair.
Some people learn from books, although the one repair book that
has been available (by Hardy) was written in 1956. (I just
published a full color book, called Ring Repair, which is the
first in a series on repair.) There are also videos; Rio Grande
has a short series with some very good in which Ed
Friedman is the primary bench person. There are a few
professional jewelry schools in the country, some of which offer
instruction on repair.
Each method of learning has its strengths and weaknesses, like
everything else in life. Learning from a pro in an on-the-job
setting is fine, if you can find one who is knowledgable and
willing, with the time and motivation as well as the ability to
teach. Learning on your own is convenient and may seem
inexpensive but it can be frustrating and in the long run, very
costly. Hardy’s book is basically sound, but it is out of date
by today’s standards, and it requires you to read from line
drawings. The Rio videos are very good except you cannot ask
questions or examine the work, and the contents are limited.
None of these methods provides you with teach materials, rings,
chains and settings to practice on.
Schools: The advantage is that ideally you can watch a pro who is
an expert at repair, knows how to teach, wants to share his/her
knowledge, has the facilities to teach and the practice
materials to learn with. At school you can ideally watch, handle
the work, ask questions and then do the tasks yourself under
supervision. All things being equal (cost, time, convenience)
this is probably the best way to go. I would suggest that you
research the choices and weigh such factors as the faculty
qualifications, individual tasks that are covered and in which
materials, accreditation, relevance to the new Jewelers of
America Bench Jeweler Certification program, recommendations of
others, reputation, etc. I would place cost and convenience
last, not because they don’t matter, but because it is worth
spending more and going farther out of your way to establish a
strong foundation upon which you will build a career.
Alan
Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts
760 Market Street . Suite 900
San Francisco . California . 94960 . USA
tel: 415 . 391 . 4179
fax: 415 . 391 . 7570
email: alan@revereacademy.com
web site: www. revereacademy.com