If you are looking to join the School of Jewellery this September, look no further for tips and ideas on how to prepare for your course over the summer. We’ve come up with a range of options for you to explore and get you uni ready!
Watch
Tune into All That Glitters on BBC, which is filmed in the heart of Birmingham’s famous Jewellery Quarter, the School of Jewellery. Eight talented jewellers compete to become Britain’s best jewellery star.
Watch interviews with famous jewellery designers, Theo Fennell, Viren Bhagat and Lisa Salzer.
Explore
Why not explore Birmingham and the historic Jewellery Quarter this summer? It’s home to over 700 jewellers and independent retailers, so there is definitely something new to discover!
Listen
There are many great podcasts out there right now to listen to, which are updated frequently with the latest subjects and interesting insights. Here are some we love right now: BAJ, Thrive By Design and Jewellers Academy.
Create
Why not start a self-directed project? Grab a sketchbook and fill it with inspiration, ideas, sketches and mood boards. Get creative and document something new.
Check out Pantone for colour inspiration and to brush up your knowledge on colour trends. Create your own beautiful colour palettes, photograph or collect objects with exciting colour combinations whilst out and about this summer!
Read
Read everything and anything. But remember to compare what you are reading to alternative sources – try to get a balanced view that takes into consideration the attitudes of different cultures. Here are some great sources we recommend online:
Association of Contemporary Jewellery, SNAG, The Goldsmiths’ Company, BAMS, Incorporation of Goldsmiths – ethical making, NAJ and BBC News.
Research
You could research current jewellery trends and the history of your favourite type of jewellery. To gain further insight, The V&A has some great webpages of the history of jewellery online. Over 3000 jewels tell the story of jewellery in Europe from ancient times to the present day in their collection.
If you are interested in watchmaking, this blog provides great references to real repairs and projects, Adventures in watchmaking.
Draw
Practice honing the skill of drawing your own jewellery designs on paper or digitally. This guide contains some useful tips for drawing your own concepts to help your design process and realisation.
Follow
If you’re in need of some jewellery inspiration this summer, here are some great accounts on Instagram we recommend following:
@jewelleryquarter @katerina_perez @thediamondedit @hemmerle @gemologue @frankbeverett @gemgossip @wwake @sophiebillebrahe @j.hannah @foundrae @bagatiba @brinkerandeliza @mejuri @annasheffield @thelastlinela
School of Jewellery Social Media Accounts:
- Instagram @SoJ_BCU
- Twitter @SoJ_BCU
- Facebook SoJ closed group
- BCU Jewellery Society Instagram @bcujewellerysociety
