Studying jewelry design is a creative and sophisticated way to transform your passion into a career. The profession requires a real level-up from your regular jewelry making practice: the development of further practical, business, and marketing skills.
Learning jewelry design in a formal setting helps you to build a strong portfolio in a short period of time. And official certification is a priceless asset as you take your first steps into the industry.
Can you imagine a better place to do so than in Rome?
Rome lives and breathes fashion
Rome is a birthplace of civilization and culture. The city has always been tied to excellence and flair in art, design, and creativity. You will find fashion everywhere you turn.
Rome has shaped the European sense of fashion for hundreds or even thousands of years. As long ago as the second century, commentators noted that “In Rome, men dress in a showy style beyond their means.” From prêt-a-porter to ready-to-wear, Rome – alongside Paris – dominates modern fashion as we know it.
And the city of Fendi and Bulgari is also the city of the Colosseum and Michelangelo. Inspiration is never far from view. Rome is a world leader in food, wine, live art, and exhibitions. You’ll find the markets packed with vintage T-shirts, credit card-busting handbags, and one-of-a-kind jewelry.
Yet jewelry in Rome is also a family business. In every neighborhood you will find historic shops and boutiques where generations of jewelry designers and makers display their creations.
One school for you: IED – Master in Jewelry Design
Istituto Europeo di Design’s Master in Jewelry Design is inspired by the celebrated features of Italian design and focuses on what is unique about each particular design student. Designers will learn how to develop their own professional identity.
Modules on methodology, communication, and branding empower students to identify their personal vision of jewelry, and to translate that vision into a marketable business prospect.
No creative business strategy is complete without a professional network. Studying at the heart of the fashion industry is the perfect way to develop one. Partners of the master’s course include Bulgari, Casato Gioielli, and Galleria Antonella Villanova.
“Once I graduated at IED,” says alumnus Sofia Magallanes, “I had a wonderful opportunity to work with Stefano Russo – one of my professors – in his family-run company which mainly deals with eyewear, jewelry, and luxury watch design.
“It was my first professional experience that I still consider the most funny and exciting one!”
Workshops at IED include Watch Design, Advanced 3D Jewelry, High Jewelry Design with Gems, Industrial Design Jewelry and Series Production. Whether technical skills are your strong point, or you know your techniques need attention, the program’s focus on high tech design is a bonus.
“I’ve always been interested in 3D technology, wax sculpture, gemology, technical drawings, technique at the counter and gouache technique,” continues Sofia.
“Thanks to my curiosity – enhanced by IED learning method – time after time I managed to develop a product from the very first concept to production, granting an exceptional quality level.”
It’s a multidisciplinary approach that promises students will gain a thorough grasp on every angle of their trade, ensuring they have the confidence to deal with customers and dealers in the fashion world.
If you are serious about jewelry and you see a creative career path ahead, the Master in Jewelry Design at Rome’s IED will let you shine.
(John is a digital nomad and freelance writer for higher education and marketing publications. A native Englishman, he is always on the move but can most commonly be spotted in Norway, the UK and the Balkans).
G. John Cole
