Jewelry Repair and Fabrication Program Code 314411

Employment Potential

Graduates in these occupations repair and/or fabricate jewelry according to customer and/or owner specifications.

A graduate of this program will have will have the potential for employment in the following areas:

Bench Jeweler: repairs jewelry, with fabrication, stone setting, and manufacturing skills.

Goldsmith: works with gold in the repairing and manufacturing of jewelry.

Stone Setter: is a jeweler who has specialized in the setting of stones in mountings, and demonstrates a high skill level, achieved with practice.

Silversmith: works with silver in the repairing and manufacturing of jewelry, utilitarian, and decorative items.

Jewelry Sales Representative: sells retail or wholesale jewelry, tools, and/or equipment.

Jewelry Designer: provides artistic drawings of jewelry designs that meet customer and/or owner approval.

With additional education and/or work experience, graduates may find other opportunities for employment.

. Trade Shop Owner
. Jewelry Department Manager
. Jewelry Store Owner
. Jewelry Equipment Representative
. Hand Engraver
. Certified Gemologist
. Graduate Gemologist
. Appraiser
. Gold Metallurgist

Program Outcomes

. Perform basic bench jewelry task/functions.
. Explain repair work to customer.
. Set stones.
. Produce jewelry using basic jewelry manufacturing skills.
. Identify characteristics of precious metals and gemstones.
. Produce finished jewelry pieces.
. Express ideas through jewelry illustrations.
. Perform jewelry sales associate skills.
. Adapt computer skills acquired as a student to the jewelry industry standards.
. Communicate effectively within the jewelry industry.
. Communicate information technology within the jewelry industry.

Requirements for Program Entry

. Completed application.
. High school transcript or equivalent. (For a list of equivalents, go to www.nwtc.edu/gettingstarted.)
. As a requirement for program entry, an Academic Skills Assessment (Accuplacer) with appropriate benchmark scores is necessary. Program Benchmarks are: Reading Comprehension: 55; Arithmetic: 34; Sentence Skills: 60. However, we recommend a student receive the following scores to be successful in this program. Reading Comprehension: 75; Arithmetic: 55; Sentence Skills: 60. Remediation options are available to reach recommended scores. Equivalent assessment scores are acceptable. To learn more about these assessments and program benchmark scores, please contact a Counselor (920) 498-5444 or (888) 385-6982.
. Basic math defined as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Students should have mastered basic math skills and have an awareness of algebraic formulas. For description of basic math and algebra, see the Basic Education section of this catalog.

Curriculum

The Jewelry Repair and Fabrication Technical Diploma is a nine-month, two-semester program. Upon graduation, a student will have completed 36 credits.

FIRST SEMESTER

SECOND SEMESTER

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

These courses provide an opportunity for students to develop the knowledge, skills, and understanding required for employment in this field.

31-104-313 RETAIL MERCHANDISING ...characteristics of a small business, planning and organizing a new jewelry business, marketing and selling the jeweler's product or service, profit planning and control, and jewelry merchandising.

31-111-310 JEWELRY DESIGN/ILLUSTRATION ...basic drawing skills, use of templates, shading, drawing stones, and basic jewelry design; designing an original piece of jewelry from concept through presentation and promotional illustration.

31-441-311 JEWELRY REPAIR 1 ...basic jewelry repair, sizing up, down, and reshanking, soldering heads in place, fabrication of rings and determining stone size in brass alloy, silver, and/or gold objects. (Prerequisite: Accepted in Jewelry Repair and Fabrication program or have instructor prior approval)

31-441-312 JEWELRY MANUFACTURING 1 ...use common metals, hand tools and equipment use, casting, fabricating, electroplating, rubber molds, wax injection models, and production of finished jewelry pieces. (Corequisite: 31-441-311, Jewelry Repair 1)

31-441-313 STONE SETTING 1 ...4-prong tiffany setting, bezel setting, 6-prong oval setting, gypsy setting and 2 end cap marquise setting. (Corequisites: 31-441-311, Jewelry Repair 1 and 31-441-312, Jewelry Manufacturing 1)

31-441-316 PRECIOUS METALS ...identify: precious metals content, solder determination, gold alloys, metal pricing and precious metal refinement.

31-441-317 GEMOLOGY 1 ...identify: gemological equipment classification, stone optical/physical property and determination, basic minerals, diamonds and gemstone pricing.

31-441-318 GEMOLOGY 2 ...identify and evaluate the physical/optical properties of colored gemstones and diamonds through testing and evaluation. (Prerequisite: 31-441-317, Gemology 1)

31-441-321 JEWELRY REPAIR 2...different jewelry repair, retipping, rebuilding heads, replacing heads, and adding or replacing stones on brass alloy, silver, and/or gold objects, use of decorative elements to a mounting. (Prerequisite: 31-441-311, Jewelry Repair 1)

31-441-322 JEWELRY MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES 2 ...a variety of manufacturing techniques, centrifugal casting process, production of a line of jewelry with the use of rubber molds and injection wax. (Prerequisite: 31-441-312, Jewelry Manufacturing 1)

31-441-323 STONE SETTING 2 ...plate setting, construction of a head setting or bright cutting, channel setting and other advanced setting techniques of fancy shaped stones. (Prerequisite: 31-441-313, Stone Setting 1)

31-441-328 POWER ENGRAVING ...this course provides the learner with the skills to design and do a layout for an engraving and use a power engraver to set stones and create decorative designs.

10-103-121 MICRO: WORD-INTRODUCTION ...word processing basics including creating, revising, formatting, and printing; sections, tabs, multiple-page numbering; manipulating text; creating headers/footers; creating and formatting tables, graphics; creating charts; applying styles; and merging documents. Requires Windows experience. 1 cr.

10-103-131 MICRO: EXCEL-INTRODUCTION ...creating a worksheet, enhancing worksheet appearance, moving and copying data, using formulas and functions, creating charts and using clip art. Requires Windows experience. 1 cr.

10-103-151 MICRO: POWERPOINT-INTRODUCTION ...presentation development skills such as: graphics, tables, diagrams, shapes, design themes, sounds, animations, slide transitions, and integration with other software. Requires Windows and MS Word experience. 1 cr.

10-804-123 MATH W BUSINESS APPS ...real numbers; basic operations; proportions/one variable; percents, simple/compound interest; annuity; apply math concepts to purchasing/buying process, selling process; and basic statistics with business/consumer applications. (Prerequisite: Recommendation:Accuplacer Arithmetic = 65). 3 cr.

31-801-385 COMMUNICATING-WRITING ...writing techniques, memos, letters, descriptions, instructions, and the job-seeking process. 1 cr.

31-801-386 COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY ...interpersonal communication, including the function of interpersonal communication, listening techniques, perception, non-verbal communication, language, self-concept, conflict resolution and customer service. 1 cr.