BAJ Mentoring Program Purpose

The primary purpose of the BEaJEWELER™ Mentoring Program is to introduce prospective and apprentice-level jewelers to a career in jewelry-making. The jewelry industry has a centuries-old tradition of cultivating new artisans through apprenticeship, and we believe this model is the strongest still for developing the jewelers of the future. But things have changed. Jewelry careers today are rarely passed from parent-to-child or guide-to-apprentice. Our society doesn’t foster the same notions of passing careers on, and young people are less inclined to pursue the careers of their parents. That has resulted in a break-down of the apprenticeship/mentor model, which has contributed to a shortfall of new entrants into jewelry careers.

The BEaJEWELER™ Mentoring Program is designed to re-introduce this objectives-oriented, one-on-one, approach to supporting and promoting new jewelers. Education (formal and informal) in the jewelry-making arts is an important part of learning the mechanics and material science required for success as a jeweler. But after the education comes practice — years of practice — and doing that practice with the guidance of an experienced jeweler will both shorten the learning curve and increase the value of the practice. For mentors, investing actively in the future of a student can bring tremendous professional and personal fulfillment, and reignite the fires of passion that they, too, experienced early in their careers.