GEMS AND JEWELLERY
While jewellery has adorned women since the earliest ages, only recently has its design, manufacture, and marketing come into an organized set up to be taken up as a career.   The Indian jewellery industry now manufactures both traditional and modern types, and exports are also picking up, with jewellery export being the second largest foreign exchange earner for the country.  Jewellery design can be in conjunction with other areas of fashion design, or even taken up as a specialized field.  Large designer and export houses provide very lucrative employment, and many freelancers have also been doing well if they have the artistic talent.  People are also required in the technical areas of casting, moulding, polishing and testing. Gemmologists deal with the science of identifying sorting and grading precious stones, as well as their polish, settings etc.

ENTRY: While most craftsmen have learnt the trade on the job, there are now diploma courses in jewellery and accesory designing and also gemmology. Small Industries Service Institutes (SISIs) in various cities also offer
training programmes in gem cutting and polishing.  This is a field which has a very wide range of courses ranging from three months to three years, and the more intensive the course that one does, the better a start he can hope
for. This is also a good career for those who do not want to have a 9 to 5 job, but wish to develop it into a rewarding hobby, by working independently and selling their designs.

APTITUDE:  Persons entering this field should have good power of observation and detail, an ability to concentrate well.  Artistic creativity plays a very important role, including aesthetic sense, colour sensitivity, and
the ability to adapt to continuously changing tastes of clientele.  People who are fashion conscious and who can observe high society and their tastes, will find success easier. Since luck, personality and good contacts play an important role in this show business, one needs to be an extrovert, with good communication skills, and the ability to move in the right social circles.

THE FUTURE: In a generally recessionary economy, export oriented industries are being greatly encouraged by the government, and the prospects for new entrants is increasing quite fast.  Openings and promotions at each
level of design, production and marketing are quite bright, and salaries are one of the highest in any comparative career. The more talented can aspire to go abroad and work anywhere in the world. Those who specialize through courses in the developed countries, stand a notch above the others in terms of improving their prospects.
After a successful stint in any large organization, an ambitious person can become a consultant, significantly increasing his earning.  Both men and women find this a rewarding career, particularly if their creativity levels are high and sustained. This career is particularly rewarding for those who wish to have a feel of high society life, mix with celebrities, and feel the proximity to wealth and power.

SOME ADDRESSES:
SNDT University for Women, Sir Vithaldas Vidyavihar, Juhu Rd, Santa Cruz (W),

Mumbai 500054 (2-1/2 year diploma course)
Indian Diamond Institute, Sumol Dairy St, Katargram GIDC, P O Patel Nagar, Surat, Gujrat
National Institute of Fashion Design, at its various branches all over the country.

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