Weeks 1-8 (320 Hours)
This provides students with skills necessary to seek employment in the retail environment as an entry- or intermediate-level bench jeweler. Students taking the Jewelry Technician will be proficient in mainstream jewelry repair and stone setting skills using gold, silver and platinum. At the end of the eighth week, students will be ready for JA Level I testing (JA Certified Bench Jeweler Technician).
Weeks 1-12 (480 Hours)
The Graduate Bench Jeweler program provides students with the Jewelry Technician plus an additional 4 weeks of advanced classes preparing students for JA Level II and III. At the end of the twelfth week, students will be ready for JA Level II testing (JA Certified Bench Jeweler).
Class meets Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
1st Term
Orientation - School and program requirements and policies.
Shop Safety - Hazardous Materials (
regulations regarding usage, proper storage and disposal methods; proper ventilation and containers; precautions of mixing various compounds, acids and solvents); Bench Tools & Equipment; Soldering & Welding, Air Quality, First Aid, OSHA
Workstations Fundamentals - Hand/Power Bench Tools (
identification, application and maintenance; preparation and modification of specialized tools); Finishing Equipment; Cleaning Equipment; Casting Equipment; Bending & Shaping Equipment; Grinders; Measuring Devices; Precious Metals-Annealing, Heating & Hardening; Workspace (
organization of work bench/space and ergonomics)
Metals & Metallurgy - Silver; Gold (
discussion of properties and melting points); Identification; Weights, Measures & Conversions; Marking & Stamping
Gemstone Properties - Nomenclature (
introduction to the most common precious and semi-precious stones); Categories & Cuts; Characteristics; Cleaning (
basic guidelines for cleaning and working around different gemstones); Precautions
Metal Working - Sawing & Filing; Rolling & Drawing (
metal and wire); Bending & Forming (
shanks); Sanding (
preparation of surfaces including refinement of actual pieces; hand/power sanding); Polishing (
basic); Finishing & Texturing; Cleaning
Soldering - Silver; Gold; Solder Flow; Joints (
butt/dovetail); Assemble & Disassembly
Stone Setting (Ovals/Rounds) - Setting Types & Layouts (
using measuring tools, designing stone layout and proportional spacing); Setting & Unsetting Stones (
instruction on the various cutting burs and tools needed; technique precautions relating to gem characteristics); Flush Setting; Bezel Setting; Prong Setting (
ovals and rounds); Bead Setting; Bright Setting
Repairs- Level One - Item Analysis (
identify material, list problems indications, identify previous solder joints, note piece condition, stone sensitivity, unset/set stones, proper packaging and handling methods); Prong Repair & Replacement (
most common retipping and repronging techniques, discussion of most efficient and/or cost effective methods available); Ring Sizing (
cutting method up/down, use of compression or other alternative methods, replacing full/half shanks); Chain Repairs (
identification of chain styles and configurations, repair/soldering techniques, parts replacements); Pendants; Charms; Shanks
Trade Practices & Ethics - Security; Insurance; Customer Goods; Professionalism (
communication skills building); Pricing; Memo
2nd Term
Platinumsmithing - Metalurgy (
platinum's unique properties and how it effects repairs); Tools & Workspace; Soldering & Welding; Ring Sizing; Finishing
Repair Skills - Level Two - Soldering (
earring backs, posts, bails and bracelet connections); Ring Sizing (
using various methods for ring mountings with stones); Chains (box, cable, rope, herringbone, san marco, hollow, serpentine); Prong Replacement & Repair (
retipping a variety of configurations); Head Replacement (
rounds, fancies, pegs); Pin Backs; Earings
Shop Procedures - Sections: Equipment Layout & Ventilation; Production Techniques; Technology Advances
Stone Setting - Level Two - Fancies (
marquise, emerald, princess, pear cuts); Channel; Cluster; Prong; Specialized Tools; Pearls; Tube
Finishing - Gem Precautions (
for a variety of mass finishing procedures); Production Finishing (
vibratory tumbler and rotary; emphasis on maintaining details and sharp edges); Compounds; Cleaning (
ultrasonic and steam cleaning); Polishing
Fabrication/Assembly - Sections: Heads (
multi-head sets); Bezels; Shanks (
including platinum heads to gold shanks); Mechanical Devices; Chains
Plating & Stripping - Sections: Rhodium; Gold; Masking (
electroplating, proper uses of anodes and tips for masking items)
3rd Term (Graduate Bench Jeweler only)
Platinum Fabrication - Soldering fixtures; Sizing (
fusion methods); Stone Protection (
from intense heat); Bi-Metal Attachments; Metal Inlay; Scrap Reclaiming; Plumb Platinum Solders; Finishing
Advanced Stone Setting - Prong (
setting techniques for more difficult prong sets); Princess Cut; Emerald Cut; Baguettes; Inlaid Channel; Invisible Setting; Grooved Princess; Bead Setting; Pave (
thread setting); Advanced Pave; Tool Making; Advanced Graver Sharpening; Stone Precautions (
opals, tanzanite, and emeralds in regards to these more complex settings)
Wax Carving Intensive - Design; Layout; Carving; Faux Granulation; Bezel Prong and Channel Work; Hollowing; Finishing and Repairing; Fabricating Carving Tools; Custom Projects in File-A-Wax; Product Introduction.
Mold Making and Casting Basics - Rubber Mold Making; Packing; Spacing; Multiple Piece; Adjusting Molds (
release cuts, pins, vents, cores); Proper Melting & Investing Techniques, Sprueing, Vulcanizing, Casting Processing; Mix Ratio, Burnout.
