About the Course
Goldsmith Technician
A 9-week diploma covering the full goldsmithing craft — bench fundamentals through manufacturing, calculation, and gemstone safety.
This is an intensive, 9-week goldsmithing program delivered in Katy, Houston, TX, through JIA's exclusive partnership with Academia De Orfebres, taught by industry experts Lilo Palma and Gabriel Owen. You'll build hand-tool fundamentals, torch and soldering technique, rolling mill and ring fabrication, jewelry repair, hinge and clasp mechanisms, stone setting, and wax carving — then close with manufacturing, alloy and mass calculation, gemstone bench safety, and a final graduation project. Upon completion, you'll receive a diploma from the Jewelry Institute of America (JIA).
Class Details
Duration: 9 weeks, Monday–Friday
Time: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM (one-hour lunch)
Class size: 6 students max
Prerequisite: None
What's included: Tools and materials provided in a fully equipped workshop; finished class projects, the Goldsmith Calculation Guide, and the Gemology at the Bench reference guide are yours to keep
Skills You'll Gain
Pierce, saw, file, sand, and polish metal to a finished surface (Bench Fundamentals)
Operate a torch and solder cleanly across delicate and functional work (Torch & Soldering)
Draw and mill metal stock on a rolling mill, and fabricate round, flat, half-round, and hollow rings (Rolling Mill & Ring Fabrication)
Retip prongs, size rings up and down, and replace setting heads (Jewelry Repair)
Fabricate a working locket hinge, chain end caps, and box and tube catch mechanisms (Hinges, End Caps & Locks)
Set round stones using prong, bezel, flush, star, and channel setting
Carve wedding bands and geometric forms in wax, ready for casting (Wax Carving Fundamentals)
Melt metal and create custom alloys, and convert between karat, purity stamps, and mass using the Goldsmith Calculation Guide
Assess a gemstone's safety for torch work, ultrasonic cleaning, steam cleaning, and heat/light/acid exposure (Gemology at the Bench)
Construct chains and brooches as part of full manufacturing practice
Week-by-Week
Week 1 — Bench Fundamentals: piercing, sawing, filing, sanding, and polishing — the four hand skills every goldsmith builds on.
Week 2 — Torch & Soldering: flame control, flux and solder selection, and clean joins on chains and findings.
Week 3 — Rolling Mill & Ring Fabrication: drawing and milling stock, then fabricating round, flat, half-round, and hollow rings.
Week 4 — Jewelry Repair: retipping prongs, sizing rings up and down, and replacing setting heads.
Week 5 — Hinges, End Caps & Locks: a working locket hinge, chain end caps, and box and tube catch mechanisms.
Week 6 — Stone Setting Fundamentals: prong, bezel, flush, star, and channel setting.
Week 7 — Wax Carving Fundamentals: flat and half-round wedding bands and geometric forms, carved and cast-ready.
Week 8 — Manufacturing, Calculation & Gemology: melting metal and creating custom alloys, constructing chains and brooches, and karat/purity/mass calculation using the Goldsmith Calculation Guide, worked through in class from guided exercises. Gemology at the Bench (stone-by-stone bench safety — what's safe to heat, ultrasonic, or steam) is assigned as reading, with brief classroom discussion rather than the full 5-day standalone treatment.
Week 9 — Final Project & Graduation: capstone project and graduation, explained and administered in the classroom.
What This Class Doesn't Cover Hand engraving (covered in the Hand Engraving track) and advanced or fancy-shape gemstone setting beyond the five styles in Stone Setting Fundamentals (covered in the Diamond Setting track's Fancy Shape and Micropavé courses). Gemstone identification using lab instruments like a refractometer or spectroscope — a separate specialty from the bench-safety knowledge covered in Week 8.
What You'll Leave With A JIA diploma as a Goldsmith Technician, a portfolio of finished pieces spanning every skill above — including rings, a hinged locket, repaired practice pieces, and cast-ready wax carvings — plus the Goldsmith Calculation Guide and the Gemology at the Bench reference guide to keep at your bench.