Jewelry Design & Repair Training Program Curriculum

Program Goal and Outcomes

Program Goal

Penn Foster's Jewelry Design and Repair Program instructs the student in the skills necessary to create, repair, and modify jewelry, including stone setting, sizing, and polishing, in order to work for an established jeweler or start a business of their own.

Program Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to...

Identify the tools and supplies needed to establish a jeweler's bench and perform successful repairs
Identify the properties of precious metals, how to weigh the amount of precious metal in an alloy, and how to calculate value
Design a pattern following appropriate design elements, and from raw materials create clean, well-formed and finished monogrammed jewelry including a bail
Solder jewelry parts by choosing the correct torch, fuel, solder, flux, and flame for a particular job, and utilizing the proper soldering methods
Enlarge or shrink rings by using a mandrel, adding an insert, or removing a piece of the ring to preserve the ring's design and roundness
Comprehend how to cut and bend individual links and jump rings from raw materials
Comprehend how to make a wax model by carving or casting in a rubber mold, mix and cure investment, burn off the wax model, and fill a cast with molten metal using the gravity pour, vacuum, or centrifugal casting processes
Comprehend business and sales models used in the jewelry industry, the pricing structure of keystoning, and methods of work distribution and work flow
Identify the chemical composition and characteristics of some common gemstones and the factors that contribute to their market value
Demonstrate procedures for performing quality repairs on common items such as metal chains, quartz watches, and pearl necklaces, and the standards for pricing the work performed
Build a sterling silver bezel-set ring by hand from raw materials
Size, cut, and solder a 3-layer ring band, measure and place prong settings, and mount gemstones into the prongs

Starting Your Program

Succeed by learning how to use your Penn Foster program.

Objectives:

Understand how to use your Student Portal.
Access the Penn Foster Community and use it to find answers.
Connect with Penn Foster on various social media sites.

The Bench Jeweler’s Tools

Explore the components of a bench jeweler's work area.

Objectives:

Demonstrate how to construct a portable work area.
Explain the parts and purpose of a flexible shaft machine.
Identify the types and sizes of sawblades, files, and drills.
Demonstrate the proper procedures for sawing, filing, and drilling.
Identify the various types of pliers and hammers and explain their uses.
Demonstrate how bench jewelers use mandrels, anvils, vises, and magnifiers.

History of Jewelry and a Summary of Metals

Get an overview of the history and development of the art of jewelry through the ages.

Objectives:

Explain how metals are used in making coins, industrial items, and jewelry.
Demonstrate techniques used to mix gold and silver with other metals to produce varying degrees of hardness and color.
Understand the effects of heating and cooling on jewelry metals as you learn how to make metals harder or softer.
Demonstrate the proper procedure for cleaning and finishing techniques, including filing, sanding, and polishing.

Project 1: Monogram Pendant

Create your first piece of jewelry! Practice your skills by training your mind and hands to work together for the basic operations of sawing, filing, drilling, and finishing.

Additional Unit Materials

Supplement: Gesswein Catalog Request Form

Learning Aids:

6-Piece File Set
20-Gauge Brass Sheet
Hardwood Bench Pin
High-Speed Twist Drill Bit (Size 52)
Packet of Blades
Polishing Cloth
Saw Blade
Saw Frame

Soldering

Learn how to use solder to create or repair jewelry.

Objectives:

Identify the different methods and types of fuels and torches that can be used to solder.
Recognize neutral and oxidizing flame characteristics.
Demonstrate how to repair bracelets, chains, and other jewelry items.

Ring Sizing

This lesson will teach you how to resize different types of rings.

Objectives:

Understand the different techniques and approaches to sizing rings.
Identify the tasks and problems involved in ring sizing.
Demonstrate how to size simple bands, rings containing stones, and special rings for people with arthritis.
Understand how to properly use a mechanical ring sizer to size rings.

Project 2: Link Identification Bracelet

In this lesson, you’ll create a chain-link bracelet!

Objectives:

Create and solder links.
Fabricate jump rings and solder them to other bracelet parts.
Sand and finish the completed bracelet.

Additional Unit Materials

Learning Aids:

14-Gauge Brass Round Wire
20-Gauge Brass Sheet (1" x 3")
Cross-Locking Tweezers
Easy Silver Wire Solder
Pair of Unlined Nitrile Gloves
Pickling Compound
Propane Torch Tip
Safety Goggles
Spark Lighter

Casting

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use liquid metal alloy to create jewelry pieces.

Objectives:

Create functional models out of wax.
Properly invest items to be cast.
Understand the vacuum and centrifugal casting processes.
Recognize and correct casting defects.

Mold Making

Learn how to use molding to create unique pieces of jewelry.

Objectives:

Understand the purpose of molding, including its advantages and disadvantages.
Properly create and pack a rubber mold.
Inject the mold with wax to create a reproduction.
Mold an object using liquid silicone.
Explore the steps involved in electroplating.

Project 3: Stone-Set Pendant

Create a stone-set pendant.

Objectives:

Learn various wax modeling techniques.
Carve a basic wax model for casting.
Create a casting from metal.
Set a gemstone in the finished pendant.

Additional Unit Materials

Learning Aid:

Small Cuttlebone
Green Carving Wax
Lead-free Wire Solder
Round Brass Wire (3 pieces)
Simulated Garnets (4)

Jewelry Retailing: Home-Based Business

Get insider tips on how to develop your own home-based jewelry business.

Objectives:

Assess your personal and professional goals.
Create a business plan based on those goals.
Know how to register your business and obtain a sales tax license.
Understand methods of marketing and selling your jewelry.
Recognize how to set up your home office.

Jewelry Retailing: Store-Based Business

Get tips on personal selling and basic selling techniques.

Objectives:

Recognize the types of retailers and industry trends.
Know how to identify a target market.
Identify the characteristics of a retail jewelry business.
Understand how store location, decor, layout, and displays can enhance a business’s image and increase sales.
Understand the basic functions of all retail operations.

Graded Project 1: Monogram Earrings

Craft earrings to match the pendant you made earlier in Project 1.

Graded Project 2: Chain Resizing

Resize two chains to form one necklace and one bracelet.

Additional Unit Materials

Learning Aids:

20-Gauge Brass Sheet (1" x 3")
Brass French Ear Wires (2 pair)
Packet of Sawblades
Padded Mailing Envelopes and Labels
Set of 2 Cable Chains
Wire Solder and Flux

Colored Gemstones and Diamonds

In this lesson, you’ll learn the characteristics of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and other gemstones.

Objectives:

Identify, grade, and evaluate popular gemstones.
Understand how diamonds are formed, mined, marketed, cut, and graded.

Common Jewelry Store Repairs

Learn the steps involved in making common repairs.

Objectives:

Understand how to receive jewelry for repair and document jewelry items.
String pearls and beads.
Identify the basic parts of a quartz watch.
Change watch batteries.
Repair eyeglass frames using the proper solders.

Project 4: Bezel-Set Onyx Ring

Make a bezel-set onyx ring.

Objectives:

Form a band from flat stock.
Measure, form, and solder a bezel from bezel wire.
Secure a stone in the bezel.

Additional Unit Materials

Supplement: Gemstone Gallery

Learning Aids:

20-Gauge Sterling Silver Sheet (1/4" X 2 3/4")
26-Gauge Sterling Silver Sheet (1/2" X 3/4")
Binding Wire
Copper Tongs
Easy-Paste Solder
Half-Round Needle File
Magnesia Soldering Block
Medium-Paste Solder
Oval Black Onyx
Pickling Compound
Round-Nose Pliers
Steel Ring Mandrel
Sterling Silver Bezel Wire

Stone Setting

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to set stones.

Objectives:

Identify the tools and burns used for setting stones.
Understand how a prong setting is made.
Recognize the steps needed to make any kind of stone setting.
Know the characteristics of an effective setting.

Jewelry Design

Explore the fascinating principles and elements of basic jewelry design.

Objectives:

Understand the parameters of jewelry design.
Sketch your design ideas with paper and pencils.
Recognize the aspects of three-dimensional objects.
Know the types of settings and stones.

Graded Project 3: Three-Stone Prong-Set Band

Construct a three-stone prong-set band. Craft a ring band from any type of sterling silver or gold-filled or plumb gold stock. Then, attach three gemstones to the band using several four-prong settings.

Graded Project 4: Wedding Band Resizing

Resize two sterling silver bands — one is size 5 and one is size 7 — to size 6.

Additional Unit Materials

Supplement: Jewelry Design

Learning Aids: