Jewellery and Silversmithing - HND

Program Overview

The HND Jewellery program at the School of Jewellery in Birmingham provides students with exceptional practical training in traditional and contemporary jewellery-making techniques. Through hands-on projects, collaborations, and industry-focused curriculum, students develop the skills and knowledge necessary for success in the jewellery industry. The program boasts an excellent reputation and strong industry connections, with graduates finding employment at leading companies and launching their own businesses.

Program Outline

Being positioned in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, we are uniquely placed to provide the education and skills that we know that employers and industry are looking for. Working at authentic jewellers’ benches, you will develop traditional skills alongside knowledge of contemporary cutting-edge technology.

Outline:

Year One

• Core Modules:
• Fundamental Hand Skills (40 credits):
This module introduces students to the fundamental hand-skills required for a career in the jewellery industry. Students will be based within a real jewellery workshop environment with authentic jewellers’ benches. They will cover the key elements of traditional jewellery techniques, which will give them a basic skill-set to develop as they progress through the course.
• Fundamental Silversmithing Skills (20 credits): This module teaches students fundamental hand and machine skills used for the production of larger objects, commonly referred to as silversmithing and small-works.
Students will experience using specific machinery and equipment located in the basement machine shop, in addition to the tools available in the HND studios and process rooms.
• Fundamental Production Processes (40 credits): This module introduces students to the techniques used for batch and quantity production in metal.
• Optional Modules:
• Fine Jewellery (20 credits):
This module introduces students to fundamental hand-making skills through the production of samples, test pieces and a finished piece of jewellery. Students will develop an understanding of traditional jewellery techniques and finishes that represent the term fine jewellery.
• Introduction to Gemmology (20 credits): This module covers the science of gemmology, which is inextricably linked with jewellery.
Students will gain an understanding of gemstones, essential for anyone involved in the manufacturing, repairing, buying or selling of fine jewellery. Students will learn the basics of CAD and design and develop sophisticated 3D digital models suitable for production through the myriad of new technologies becoming increasingly available in Computer Aided Manufacture.
• Silversmithing and Objects (20 credits): This module introduces students to the fundamental techniques and processes used in metalwork for creating non-wearable objects through demonstrations and practice.

Year Two

• Core Modules:
There will be a greater focus on the commercial applications of lost-wax casting as a means of multiple batch production. Students will also learn about using the laser-welder as a means for the rapid repair and modification of castings, as well as for other industry process requirements. Laser technology opens up unique creative possibilities within the design process and this module provides students with the opportunity to combine production processes, in order to create a collection for sale in a real-world commercial environment. It will ensure that students have an awareness of the complex nature of the jewellery industry and they will be encouraged to begin to develop networks of contacts in order to raise their profile as they identify a career path and launch their career as an industry graduate. It will also assist students to develop the transferable skills that will ensure they can function successfully within this professional context.
• Specialist Practice (40 credits): This module gives students the opportunity to develop their own unique product range where they will identify their chosen direction and target market within the specialist field.
This is a culmination of their learning experience by bringing together all of the knowledge and expertise they have gained on the course. Their ambitions will be clarified through a personal written project brief with the purpose of creating a collection suitable for progression to the BA (Hons) Design for Industry (top-up) course or to launch their career. The ultimate aim is to design and manufacture a market ready product range realised to a high professional standard. The brief will be set by an external client/ agency, in consultation with their supervisor, and it could be a ‘real life’ problem to be solved, or a simulation. It is an opportunity for students to engage in a professional manner with an aspect of their subject area, which contributes to the development of employability skills within the supportive infrastructure of the University. Where appropriate, the project may involve interdisciplinary collaboration with students from other courses. In this way, it reflects the collaborative, flexible nature of employment within the Creative Industries.

Assessment:

The course is assessed via coursework, and students will undertake practical and written modules. Alongside workshop practice and demonstrations, students will learn through a mix of lectures, seminars, critiques, team work, presentations, tutorials, online learning, and self-directed study.

Teaching:

The course is highly practical and workshop-based. Students will be in the workshop for the majority of their time and will be learning by actually making real jewellery and silverwares in a real jewellery workshop. The course is designed to give students the chance to work with industry and in their ‘Live Project’ module, they will get the chance to design work in collaboration with a commercial jewellery house, making pieces which will be showcased as part of their presentation at the International Spring Fair in Birmingham. Previous students who have taken part in this project have sold their work through the company and have been employed to create further collections.

Careers:

Many of the program's graduates are now prestigious makers and designers. Students graduate and gain employment in companies such as Asprey’s, Bespoke Quarter, Vipa Designs, Weston Beamor, Centre Jewellery, Cooksongold, Royal Mint, Gerrards, Thomas Fattorini, Hockley Mint, Lucy Walker, and James Newman, amongst others. In addition to this, some students choose to start their own businesses.

Other:

• The School of Jewellery is the largest in Europe, located in the heart of Birmingham’s famous Jewellery Quarter.
An estimated 40 per cent of British jewellery is still made here today.
• The well-equipped studio workshops offer a dedicated laser welder, contemporary stone-setting, including optical diamond setting and a dedicated CAD/CAM facility, using the latest relevant CAD packages to enhance the traditional techniques and hand skills students will learn.
• Regular liaisons with the industry in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter and beyond offers opportunities to get noticed, make connections and gain employment.
• Sponsorship and support from associated companies gives the course industry relevance and insight, supporting the reputation of the HND and endorsing the qualification.
• The Jewellery, Fashion and Textiles courses have been awarded the Athena Swan Bronze Award for their commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).
• The School of Jewellery's Vittoria Street building is inspirational and functional.
A blend of traditional historic and cutting-edge contemporary, it is light, spacious and extremely well-resourced.
• Students have access to industry standard equipment, studio workshops with specialist tools and a shared machine workshop with a wide range of powered equipment, a casting facility and an electroplating laboratory.
The School’s main computer suite includes CAD design software and Adobe Creative Suite, and students have access to a specialist library.

• UK students: £9,250 in 2024/25
• International students: £17,710 in 2024/25