Certificate in Jewellery

• The programmes offered by Whitecliffe are New Zealand’s only jewellery and goldsmith courses registered and accredited with NZQA.
• The programmes are designed with employment at the forefront, and provide students with the necessary education to excel as professionals in the jewellery and goldsmithing industry.

• Whitecliffe implements a hands-on approach that encourages creativity, builds confidence and perfects skill.

Filing Designs

• Identify the use of geometric designs and materials used in jewellery
• Develop ideas for basic geometric shapes and features through self-reflection
• Replicate filing designs from paper to metal using a selection of tools such as dividers, Vernier gauge, steel ruler, and engineers square
• Develop fabrication techniques in making basic shapes to prescribed parameters, such as accurate lines and angles, forming, and filing
• Problem solve for plate and wire in the construction and soldering of geometric shapes
• Identify the steps of cleaning up work for finishing and polishing using filing, emery, and buffing

Band Ring Designs

• Identify a range of profiles and styles used in basic rings and ring making
• Develop ideas for band ring designs through self-reflection practices
• Modify and relate fabrication techniques to ring making such as hallmarking, determining profiles using drawplates, swaging, and forging
• Manufacture a band ring to the correct finger size
• Apply solutions for bar, plate, and wire required in ring making
• Maintaining dimensions in the process of finishing and polishing

Mount Designs

• Investigate the functions of basic mount designs
• Develop ideas for basic mounts through self-reflection practices
• Recognise gem-setting design styles such as Bezel, Rub-over, Rex, and Tiffany
• Apply fabrication techniques in basic mounts such as claws and feet, under bezels, shoulders, and shanks
• Apply solutions for bar, plate, Chenier, and wire required in fabricating mounts
• Apply finishing and polishing techniques without loss of form

Portfolio

• Summarise standard jewellery workshop practices, under HSWA16 conditions of the safe operation of tools, cleaning, maintenance, management of equipment, and independent workshop practice
• Identify culturally safe workshop practices for indigenous design in arts, crafts, and jewellery
• Support well-informed judgements in the critical analysis of own and other practices
• Contribute to group discussions and brainstorming sessions, validating informed research decisions
• Demonstrate planning of materials and time management to ensure completion of an exercise
• Present a portfolio in a coherent manner

• Execute jewellery fabrication techniques such as; dimensions, filing, forming, wirework, soldering, settings and polishing.
• Create additional dimensions to work such as stone openings, back-holes, wirework, shank designs, bezels, pips, brooch pins and bales.
• Understand culturally safe work practices.
• Meet entry requirements for the Bachelor of Jewellery Design + Technology, and other further study.
• Enter the jewellery and goldsmithing industry at a junior level

NZ Government key information link for students, that provides more information to support your decision making for this programme

Come along and experience what it's like to study jewellery at Whitecliffe. On this full-day workshop, you will enjoy making two pieces (a geometric star and a silver band ring) in our industry-leading workroom under the guidance of our expert tutors. ​​

• Bring an apron

• Wear covered shoes

• Have any long hair tied back

• Carry your passport or NZ birth certificate

• If you have a sample art portfolio, please bring it along

Available dates:

• From 18th January 2023 (9am to 5pm)

Please contact the Admissions Team on 0800 800 300 or email admissions@whitecliffe.ac.nz to book or for more information.

Admission Requirements:

Students are required to complete a pre-enrolment application and enrolment form and supply this with the required documentation to Whitecliffe. Applicants are required to participate in a pre-entry audition. Final acceptance into the course is subject to the approval of the Programme Leader & Marketing Department.

• For domestic applicants: Programme fee payment is required immediately after the applicant receives notification of their acceptance into the programme.
• For international applicants: Programme fee payment is required immediately after the Approval in Principle (AIP) from Immigration New Zealand.

Where the number of programme applicants into the programme exceeds the number of places available on the programme, applicants will be selected on the basis of:

• Meeting the entry criteria
• In order of application
• Receipt of fee payment

Places will be allotted on a first come, first enrolled basis. Other applicants will be waitlisted and informed when places become available.

English Language Requirements for International Students:

Student from a country with a visa decline rate of more than 20%:

• NCEA Level 3 with University Entrance
• Certificate of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA)
• Completed Bachelor Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma,

Bachelor Honours Degree, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Master’s Degree or Doctoral Degree, but only if the qualification is obtained from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States; and the language of instruction was English.

• Internationally recognised English language proficiency test listed in the

Appendix to Rule 18, but only if: the student has achieved the required test scores for the level of the programme as specified in the Table in the

Appendix; and the scores were achieved in a single test during the preceding two years. Combination of scores from multiple tests is not acceptable.

Student from a country with a visa decline rate of 20% or less:

• NCEA Level 3 with University Entrance
• - Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA)
• Completed Bachelor Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma,

Bachelor Honours Degree, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Master’s Degree or Doctoral Degree, but only if the qualification is obtained from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States; and the language of instruction was English.

• Internationally recognised English language proficiency test listed in the “Appendix to Rule 18”, but only if the student has achieved the required test scores for the level of the programme as specified in the Table (See Key Links below) in the Appendix; and the scores were achieved in a single test during the preceding two years. Combination of scores from multiple tests is not acceptable.
• An NZQA-approved English language proficiency test, administered by a

Category 1 or 2 institution, where the student has achieved an outcome that is equivalent to or better than those listed in the Table of the Appendix (^)

Completion of all primary education and at least three years of secondary education at schools with English as the language of instruction. Version :3 Page 11 of 141 Date: Mar 2020 • Completion of five years of secondary education at schools with English as the language of instruction.

• Completion of all primary education and at least three years of secondary education at schools with English as the language of instruction.

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Requirements:

Recently we have found ourselves working remotely due to COVID-19, we recommend that you have your own device to support your studies. The following specifications are intended to help you make the best choice of laptop, desktop or tablet for the job.

Recommended IT Specifications:

Minimum Hardware requirements 

• Mac - Intel processor with 64-bit support; 2 GHz or faster processor with SSE 4.2 or later
  OR 
• MacBook Air with M1 Chip 
  OR 
• Intel® or AMD processor with 64-bit support; 2 GHz or faster processor with SSE 4.2 or later 
• 8 GB RAM (Recommended 16 GB)   
• 250 GB SSD or higher hard drive with 10GB free space minimum    
• Wireless capability 802.11n dual-band    
• Up-to-date antivirus software    

Minimum Operating System     

• Windows 10 (64-bit) version 1809 or later; LTSC versions are not supported
  OR     
• Apple macOS Mojave (version 10.14) or later 

• Internet and data plan.    

Not Supported:    

• Chromebooks    
• Windows X or Windows S OS    
• Tablets (except Windows Surface Pro or iPad Pro)