JEWELLERY AND RELATED PRODUCTS – GRADDIP

This unique one-year Graduate Diploma is a two-semester pre-Masters course in jewellery and related products.The course gives you the opportunity to develop your portfolio, specifically in the field of contemporary jewellery, to better enable progression onto MA or other higher-level study. The Graduate Diploma will encourage creative jewellery and related product studio practice that develops confidence in self-directed study and independent learning skills. You'll acquire the professional and academic development needed for progression onto MA and into industry.

Q&A

Artist Statement

You will gain knowledge and understanding of industry through visits to industry, locally and nationally.You will develop your understanding of historical and theoretical underpinnings of contemporary jewellery with regular lecture and seminar sessions. The course requires a significant amount of technical and studio based teaching to help you gain an understanding of materials and processes. You will gain hands-on experience of technical processes through the demonstrations and use of machinery available within the school. The course will help you develop modelling and prototypes skills and design thinking, as well as communication skills through presenting your work and ideas to your peers and tutors. Participating in critical feedback sessions and recording reflections of your progress and development is core to this course and will help prepare you for future desired progression. You are encouraged and challenged to identify and develop your own specific interests. You will be guided through developing critical reflective skills whilst enhancing your competence in sustaining an in-depth studio material practice within the specifics of jewellery and related product studio techniques and processes. The course finishes with an exhibition of your final collection. This usually takes place in the School of Jewellery alongside other final year undergraduate students. This gives you the experience of completing and showcasing a professional body of work as well as being a part of the end of year celebrations.

What craft do you work with?

You will progress onto the JEWELLERY AND RELATED PRODUCTS – MA

What inspires you to work with this craft?

BRIDIE LANDERCourse Leader Foundation, Course leader Graduate DiplomaBridie is an experienced jewellery designer/maker and lecturer. She spent several years as an artist and academic in Australia where latterly she was Coordinator of the Jewellery and Object Studio at Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney.

How do you start your creative process?

A variety of different learning and teaching approaches are employed on your course to support your continuous learning throughout your time here.These approaches include the following activities:workshop based demonstrations and practicelecturesseminarsgroup critiquesteam workpresentationsgroup and individual tutorialsonline learning via Moodleindustry and gallery visitsself-directed study and one day projectsThe course generally continues the undergraduate and School’s philosophy of teaching through a practical “hands-on” learning experience called “Experiential Learning” This means that you will be learning by “doing”, and designing via making. Experimenting with materials, process and techniques is encouraged. This enables you to actively engage with and solve three-dimensional problems, whilst developing your designing, making and craft skills.Trips and visitsVisits to local industry in the Jewellery Quarter such as Cooksonsgold, one of UK’s largest jewellery suppliers and bullion dealers, is included in the course. Additional visits to galleries and exhibitions and taking advantage of cultural opportunities within the city and the UK is an important part of the enrichment of the course.

How would you best describe your workspace and what tools could you not do without?

The School of Jewellery’s Vittoria Street building is inspirational and functional. A blend of traditional historic and cutting-edge contemporary, it is light, spacious and extremely well-resourced.An extensive refurbishment programme integrated the Victorian Gothic building of 1863 with the adjacent 1912 extension and a site further down the road. The architects’ success in doing so resulted in awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Civic Trust.You’ll have access to industry standard equipment, studio workshops with specialist tools and a shared machine workshop with a wide range of powered equipment, a casting facility and an electroplating laboratory. The School’s main computer suite includes CAD design software and Adobe Creative Suite, and you’ll have access to a specialist library.

Are there any techniques you would like to try?

Graduates from the School of Jewellery are highly employable and are familiar with the latest industry skills and techniques.You’ll have the knowledge and skill to work with the materials, processes and techniques to create innovative 2D and 3D design.The course will have enabled you to demonstrate independent thinking and the ability to prepare and realise a successful self-initiated project.You’ll have a collection of work, completed to a high standard of professionalism, which shows your creative identity.You’ll also develop a range of transferable skills, such as how to communicate ideas and solve problems, as well as developing negotiation and planning skills.