Genna Design

It’s now August and if you are a recent jewellery graduate and are still trying to make jewellery you are doing well.

Most people who study jewellery don’t go on to work in the industry. To keep going you need:

• Enough money to set up and buy the tools and materials for making jewellery
• Information from other jewellers on what to do and what not to do
• Original ideas to produce
• Customers to buy the work

Any gap in this and the whole thing crumbles down.

In this post I will detail some of the ways of getting the first – Enough money to set up and buy the tools and materials for making jewellery.

1. Goldsmiths Award

The Goldsmiths’ Company run loads of competitions. Some of these can be entered in your early years of university. Some of these are awarded to final year students and some are awarded at New Designers. You did go to New Designers didn’t you? These really helped me and gave me confidence in my work. In 2002 I won an award for the Wonder Cuff I made on my HND. In my degree show I won a Precious Metal Bursary Award for my Labyrinth Neckpiece.

Students of Duncan of Jordanstone have a great track record of winning these. This year 6 graduates won awards. In my year 12 of my class won these. Something like 80 were awarded nationwide. 15% of awards going to the jewellery students of Duncan of Jordanstone shows how strong my year was.

2. PSYBT

The PSYBT loaned me money when I started up which helped me buy tools and materials. Being at university you don’t realise the amount of different tools you need to have as they are all shared in a big studio. You make very few pieces over time in your course and the materials cost a lot less than when buying from suppliers yourself.

3. Local council business start up

Depending on where you live, are from or set up business the local council sometimes has grants to encourage people to start up. My local council has a project to help kickstart businesses. Look into your local council to see if anything is available.

4. Business Gateway

Business Gateway can award you a start-up grant. Remember for all these awards and schemes you are going to have to fill in application forms. You will have to already have an idea in your head of what you are going to be doing and what you are going to be making. Courses may be available from the Cultural Enterprise Office to help with this. The one I went on years ago was really useful. Your business plan will be needed to get any financial help for your business. Write it, get someone to read it and tell you where it sucks. Make it better and then start applying for things.

5. Savings and/or part time job

Ideally you will already have savings or have or have had a part time job to have some steady income. Experience in retail will help you sell your jewellery. During the early years most jewellers I know and that includes me work part time and make their jewellery part time. Having the part time job related to the arts would be really beneficial. Some people teach or assist lecturers, some work in galleries.

If you are a jeweller or other artists where have you found funding from?

Tags: Business Gateway, Business Plan, DJCAD, Duncan of Jordanstone, Dundee Council, Goldsmiths' Company, New Designers, PSYBT