Jewellery retail is a dynamic sector offering a variety of rewarding employment opportunities, but at times it can seem like a daunting field to navigate. Along with customer service skills, jobs in this stimulating industry require knowledge of jewellery essentials, including materials and manufacturing processes. But where do you start when you’re trying to build your career?
Jewellery retail is an exciting sector with a wide range of different career options, from sales assistant, jewellery representative and retail manager to administrative roles. Knowing what each of these positions involves and which one interests you most will help you home in on the ideal retail job for you.
Career progression in jewellery retail can take a number of different paths. You could start as a sales assistant and work your way up the ranks in your company, or you might choose to specialise by gaining more in-depth knowledge about a particular field, such as gemmology or metallurgy, leaving you better informed to assist customers. Either way, thinking about the route you want your career to take will help you prepare for your future dream job and work out the best way to get there.
Once you’ve decided on the path you want to follow in jewellery retail, you’ll need to start thinking about the skills you need to acquire to get your career on the right track. For customer-facing roles, customer service skills are a must: knowing the correct way to greet shoppers and advise them on everything from gemstones and precious metals to product care and aesthetics will help you stand out from the crowd in all the right ways. Other skills you might need in jewellery retail include creating jewellery displays, making orders, taking stock, and even organising and hosting events.
Whichever career path you choose in jewellery retail, a detailed knowledge about the products you’re selling is indispensable. Having even a basic understanding of gemmology is a great first step that will help you assist customers and carry out a range of other tasks more confidently. But taking the time to really get to know the inspiration, stories and ideas behind the products and collections being sold by your company will make all the difference to your performance, as will researching where and how the materials used in these products are sourced.
As well as this more specific information, jewellery retail professionals are expected to have a handle on a broad range of topics related to the wider jewellery industry, including the history and manufacturing of jewellery, hallmarking and alloys. The more rounded your knowledge of the wider industry, the better.
BAJ’s Jewellery Retail Essentials course is an online distance-learning course especially designed to meet the needs of jewellery retail professionals and for those interested in pursuing a career in the jewellery retail industry.
BAJ’s Jewellery Retail Essentials course can provide you with a comprehensive introduction to all of jewellery essentials and more. Over the course of the three-day programme, not only will you learn how to talk about different jewellery components, finishes, and gemstones, you’ll also develop your knowledge about jewellery industry target markets, security for jewellery retail, and jewellery maintenance and care.
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