Hi! I would really like to know how to get my foot in the door of the
jewellery making industry, and would love to hear anyone’s stories on
how they’ve done it. I am currently in my last year of study in
jewellery making at TAFE (college) and I’m thinking of starting up my
own business instead of finding employment at a jewellers as I find
the majority of jewellers where I live are too conservative in their
designs. I would especially like to hear from Australian jewellers,
particularly from Perth that have either started up their own
business from scratch or gained employment at an existing jeweller,
however anyone’s stories and advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Sara Turnbull
Perth, Western Australia
Dear Sara, I think one of the first things you could do is the join
the local branch of the Jewellers and metalsmiths group of Australia.
JMGA. The WA branch is one of the most active in Australia. We meet
each fourth Monday at 7.30PM in the meeting room at Craft West In the
Little King Street Art Centre. We have guest speakers at the meetings,
general business, news of exhibitions coming up ( there is a members
exhibition being held in September) workshops etc. The members are a
mixture of hobbyists, students,trade, emerging and established
Jewellers. It is a good support group.
In the long run, you will probably find that you will need to
outsource work through Melbourne and Sidney, as Perth small population
makes it very difficult to survive… contact me off list for further
details best wishes
Felicity peters in sunny wintry Perth