Tips for Launching a Career in Jewellery

The jewellery business is an appealing sector in which to launch a career. However, it can be a competitive one for this very reason. It does not have to be an imposing sector or an insurmountable obstacle, however. It just has to be approached in the right way.

Training

Not all jewellery careers will require any sort of training, but there are some avenues in which this can be helpful or downright essential. Perhaps the most notable examples are jewellery design qualifications and training in making jewellery. Depending on the kind of roles you are looking at, these qualifications range in value from useful assets to prerequisites.

Jewellery Retail

Working in jewellery retail is arguably the most accessible kind of career in the jewellery industry. Perhaps your interest is primarily in jewellery and you see a retail career as a way to work closely with it and with people looking for the perfect piece, or perhaps you are primarily pursuing a retail career and are drawn to jewellery as the area you would most like to work in. In-store opportunities range from shop assistant – which can be anything from a full-time job to a part time commitment to fit around studying – up to supervisory and management positions. Alternatively, there is a lot more to the jewellery retail than shop work, and you may wish to pursue a career in areas such as buying or visual merchandising.

Creating a Jewellery Brand

This is certainly an idea that will appeal to many, but it will likely only be open to those who have a fair amount of experience in the industry as well as a strong head for business. It is certainly not an easy option, nor is it by any means a low-risk one. Establishing a brand and selling your own, unique products online, through a physical shop, or through wholesalers can be highly profitable if you succeed, but bear in mind that success will not come quickly. Unless you have a lot of capital and some very influential connections, you have to be prepared to start small and to build things up over the course of time.

Home Jewellery Businesses

The more modest yet far more accessible cousin to the previous option, setting up a home jewellery brand can be done with much lower risks and with a far smaller budget. It often begins as a part-time endeavour and a way for crafty individuals to monetise their hobby, selling online through platforms like eBay and Etsy and through stalls at local markets and events. This can be kept as a second income stream which also happens to be a profitable hobby or, with enough effort and commitment, can be grown into a full-scale career. In order to give yourself the best chance of success, try to develop your own style or fill a specific niche that is not fully catered for, and try to give the kind of personal, customer-centred service that people expect from individual crafters.

Peter is a content market for Nottinghamshire based jewellery chain Jollys Jewellers

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Peter Scully

Marketing Director at SF Media

Keen author and blogger. Peter writes on a number of topics he has a personal interest in, including brand promotion, marketing, social media, online marketing and small business advertising.