All that glitters
In order to become a successful jeweller you have to be passionate about the trade.
This is according to Marius Potgieter, a Brakpan resident and jeweller in The Avenues.
There are certain tertiary education institutions that offer courses in becoming a jeweller, but there are other options.
According to Marius, if you are interested in pursuing this kind of career, certain jewellers do offer on the job training.
This is better, in Marius’ opinion, as going to university takes longer and the experience you get while working with a jeweller is better.
The University of Johannesburg offers a course in jewellery design and manufacture.
The Tshwane University of Technology offers a similar course.
A typical day in the life of a jeweller can be anything from repairing jewellery to doing make-ups.
“Make-up” is the process of transforming a piece of raw metal into a piece of jewellery.
Changing the sizes of rings and setting stones are also day-to-day occurrences.
Marius says that jewellers should not only rely on make-ups, but are also required to be trained in the above-mentioned.
When asked who should become a jeweller, Marius said, “People who are artistic and love art. And people who love to work with their hands. Basically people who love to create something beautiful out of raw metal.”
Marius first became a jeweller 10 years ago, under the guidance of his father.
He advises anyone who wants to enter this field to go for it 100%.
He continues to say that you have to make sure that your craftsmanship is done to the best of your ability.
Marius says that it is really stressful and your work has to be perfect, but it is really rewarding.
He is also of the opinion that the best part of his job is seeing a satisfied customer.
