Jewellery Designing

Jewellery - something which always charms us - has a great economic significance in the Indian Industry and is regarded as a major source of investment. Women has always had an affinity towards jewellery and Indian women has adorned herself with precious jewellery, gold and diamonds to enhance her feminine beauty from time immemorial. India, is the biggest consumer of gold with 20% of world gold consumption and this industry gives employment to millions of people. Indian jewellery industry is said to have an ancient and historical tradition of over 5,000 years with its own distinct designs, patterns and art forms. For centuries, the art of making jewellery has been the monopoly of traditional 'kaarigars' or goldsmiths who have inherited the expertise from their ancestors and have played the dual role of designer and manufacturer. During those days, jewellery designing as a career had been limited to the kaarigars and one could learn this profession only by becoming an apprentice to an experienced jeweller. But today with the explosion in the fashion and accessories arena, the field is becoming a lucrative career which offers a sparkling future for those who are fascinated by gems and jewellery. A new breed of jewelry designers and professionals like gem appraisers are in great demand with the growing market for branded ornaments. Jewellery designing is an art of designing and making jewellery, stone cutting, engraving and polishing etc. Jewellery designers are those who plan the style and pattern of jewellery, silverware and other decorative metal work products. They require a high degree of skill and precision and use a variety of specialized hand tools and equipments to design and manufacture new pieces of jewellery. In addition, to be successful in the field they should be able to understand the market, identify the consumer needs, visualize ideas to suit the demands and create impressive presentations to communicate the end product to the client. The fast growing jewellery business in the country has tremendous employment potential and offers excellent career opportunities to professional executives in the industry. Graduates with specialization in Jewellery Design and Management are in great demand globally for managing the jewellery business. Eligibility A course in Jewellery designing is a comprehensive one, dealing with all the fine details of jewellery making and designing. Specially meant for those who are creative and have an artistic blend of mind, these courses give basic information on the different kinds of stones, colour coding, schemes, polishing and finishing, presentation and framing, drawing techniques, ornament making and designing and so on. Apart from these, they could also learn special skills like electroplating, metal colouring, anodizing, enameling, stone setting and silversmithing. Numerous institutes all over India offer various courses in jewellery designing. In most of the institutes, the course is incorporated with other designing courses. For Diploma, Degree and Certificate courses in Jewellery designing, one should have passed 10+2 or equivalent examination from any stream of a recognised institution. Several short term courses are offered for those who have completed their 10th class. Before qualifying for the course, a student has to pass an aptitude test followed by an interview. Crash courses are also offered to the working professionals and students. Training in this field may include art classes through technical schools, along with computer-aided jewelry design training in specific software packages like Rhino, Jewel Cad, Auto Cad, 3D Studio, etc. Moreover, the use of Photoshop, Corel Draw and in-depth analysis of volume, weight and metal composition are generally considered to be vital parts of the jewellery designing syllabus. Duration of the courses may vary from 3-6 months to 2-3 years. The minimum age required is 15 years. As part of their curriculum most institutes conduct special workshops for students. Personal skills The most vital attribute needed for a jewellery designer is the sense of design and a passion for the profession. They should be creative, imaginative, technically sound, well-versed with the fashion industry, and committed to work. Other attributes needed for a designer are skills in drawing and computer designing, an open mind that can visualise designs from anything and everything, skills to understand the latest trends and practical skills with tools and materials. They must also possess a working knowledge about manufacturing, understanding of various metals and gemstones and must have numerical skills for measuring, calculating costs of materials and pricing items. Journalism/ Mass Communication Journalism is concerned with collection and dissemination of news through the print media as well as the electronic media. This involves various areas of works like reporting, writing, editing, photographing, broadcasting or cable casting news items. Journalism is classified into two on the basis of media- (i) Print Journalism and (ii) Electronic (Audio/Visual) Journalism. Print Journalism includes newspapers, magazines and journals. In print journalism one can work as editors, reporters, columnists, correspondents etc. Electronic journalism includes working for Radio, Television and the Web. In the web, skilled people are required to maintain sites by web newspapers (which cater only to the web and do not have print editions) and popular newspapers and magazines who have their own web editions. In electronic journalism one can be a reporter, writer, editor, researcher, correspondent and anchor. Career in journalism is a prestigious profession as well as a highly paid one. Journalist play a major role in the development of nation. It is through them that we get information about daily happenings in the society. The purpose of journalism itself is to inform and interpret, educate and enlighten the people. The opportunities for journalists are endless and at the same time the job has become more challenging, as the new world is proving the adage that "the pen (and the camera) is mightier than the sword." Simple reporting of events is no more sufficient, more specialisation and professionalism in reporting is required. Journalists specialize in diverse areas, such as politics, finance and economics, investigation, culture and sports for newspapers and periodicals. Eligibility Educational Qualification: Bachelor's degree or post-graduate degree in journalism/mass communication is required to pursue a career in this field. Additional course work, specialized training or experience, fieldwork or internship increases one's opportunities in the field. There are a number of universities and institutes offering training in journalism. Minimum eligibility for Bachelor degree in journalism is 10+2 and for Post graduate degree courses a Bachelor degree in journalism. Some institutes also provide one year certificate courses in journalism for which eligibility is 10+2. There are also courses in specialized areas of journalism like sports, television, photo, press law etc. No course or training can claim to make one, a journalist. The courses train persons in the technical aspects only, to ensure one's success in the field one must have an inborn ability to write and produce new stories in correct, concise and interesting style. Latest trend in this regard is that big groups of newspapers advertise the posts of trainees for which all graduates are eligible. After conducting the entrance examination, suitable graduate trainees, with flair for writing are selected and employed. In other words, now the formal academic qualification for being a reporter, copy writer or correspondent is not essential. Personal Attributes: To become a journalist one should have an inquisitive mind, will power, an aptitude for presenting information in an accurate, concise and effective manner, organize their thoughts and to express themselves clearly both orally and in writing. At the same time a journalist has to be tactful, confident and organised while interviewing people from all walks of life. They must have the ability to sift relevant facts from the irrelevant. The ability to accept criticism and willingness to do considerable rewriting are also necessary.