Graduate Jeweler Program
The Graduate Jeweler diploma program is a hands-on experience that introduces students to the knowledge and skills required for a career in jewelry fabrication and repair. You will work with gemstones and precious metals at your own workstation and in a classroom equipped with professional-quality tools.
What You'll Learn
- Demonstrate essential jewelry manufacturing skills
- Fabricate findings and completed jewelry pieces using base and precious metals
- Apply texture, polish and electroplating finishes to jewelry surfaces
- Demonstrate common jewelry repairs
- Describe safe operation of common jewelry manufacturing tools
- Explain metallurgy and how it affects manufacturing
- Self-evaluate manufacturing skills
Topics Covered
Here are some of the topics covered in the Graduate Jeweler program.
REPAIR
Learn how to use tools to repair jewelry.
METALWORKING
Learn the basics of metal working: soldering, finishing, and more.
CRAFTSMANSHIP
Develop skills for fabrication, custom order, and repair.
QUALITY CONTROL
Learn how to spot manufacturing defects and what causes them.
STONE SETTING
Learn techniques for multiple stone setting shapes and styles.
Get Started
Offered at GIA World Headquarters and The Robert Mouawad Campus in Carlsbad, CA.
Study at the GIA School On campus, full-time learning
Immerse yourself in the world of gems and jewelry and earn your Graduate Jeweler diploma by studying at a GIA campus. This transformative program opens up a world of opportunity.
Offered at the following campusesGraduate Jeweler Tour Hands-On Bench Experience
Essential Bench Skills for Success
Earn the essential skills you need for a career in creating jewelry – from shaping a variety of rings to advanced stone setting and repair.
Three-Stone Ring
Learn fancy-shape stone setting engineering for faceted bezel, V-prong, and bar channel tapered baguette settings. Create a three-stone ring with cubic zircona, synthetic corundum or spinel, or your own gemstones.
Industry-Standard Quality Assurance
Practice, evaluate, and improve your work with objective quality standards used in the industry and by leading design houses.
Carved Band
Hand-craft your own half-round decorative band by practicing with bronze and brass. Learn skills like milling a half-round wire, forming a ring blank, soldering, finishing, and more.
Laser Welding
Learn to perform intricate tasks and repairs quickly and efficiently with a laser welder.
Toggle Bracelet
Create a handmade chain and toggle clasp in sterling silver. Learn skills like soldering, chain assembly, forming a wire loop, fusing metal with a torch, and making a toggle clasp.
Unrivaled Opportunity
Join a prestigious, global network of GIA students and alumni with the opportunity to make impactful professional connections for life.
Hoop Earrings
Explore the plasticity of metal and form a pair of self-closing hoop earrings using brass sheet. Learn skills like forming fundamentals, how to apply a pattern, and how to create reusable templates.
Expert Instructors and Personalized Learning
Learn from expert instructors with years of trade experience who can help you refine your skills and reach your educational goals with personalized attention.
Mesh Chain
Measure and form interlocking links to create a mesh chain from brass wire. Learn skills like precision soldering and fitting and how to fabricate and assemble interlocking links.
Professional Quality Tools and Workstation
Work at your own dedicated workstation stocked with hand tools you will take with you into your career and professional-quality power tools for your personal and classroom use.
Forged Ring
Learn to move metal with precise strokes of a hammer to forge the shape of this timeless ring. Skills include fabrication, sawing, and creating a peg to set a pearl or bead.
Hands-On Learning and Equipment
Learn in modern classrooms with projected instructor demonstrations and your own workstation outfitted with binocular microscopes to view the fine details.
Sister Hook
Use sterling silver to create this vintage clasp – one of the strongest and most versatile closures. Learn skills like precise sawing and filing of matching parts and joining using cold connection.
