EXPERIENCES

During a five-week placement at Crivelli Gioielli in Valenza, Italy, I worked within the company’s CAD and product development department. Here, I assisted in the development and refinement of jewelry designs intended for production, gaining insight into the relationship between design, manufacturing, and commercial requirements. Working alongside experienced designers and technicians, I contributed to CAD modelling, design adjustments, and production-ready jewelry development while gaining first-hand experience of the workflows used within a luxury jewelry manufacturer.

Skills Learned:

Advanced Rhino 8 CAD Design
Luxury Product Development
Design Iteration
Production-ready Design
Stone Setting Preparation
Technical Problem Solving
Collaboration with Designers & Technicians
Italian Language in a Workplace

During a four-week placement at the Bulgari Jewelry Academy within the Valenza Manifattura, I joined a cohort of trainees undergoing the company's six-month jewelry training program. While observing various departments initially, I later focused on bench work, where I practiced traditional hand-tool techniques and micromotor finishing on cast brass training pieces.

Through the repeated renovation of cast components, from sprue removal to progressively finer abrasive finishing, I gained first-hand experience of the precision, patience, and consistency required in luxury jewelry manufacturing. The experience highlighted the importance of repetition as a tool for developing craftsmanship and provided valuable insight into the training methods used to uphold production standards within a global luxury brand.

Key Skills & Knowledge Gained:

Hand Finishing Techniques
Micromotor Operation
Cast Jewelry Refinement
Surface Preparation & Finishing
Precision Craftsmanship
Workshop Discipline
Luxury Manufacturing Standards
Repetitive Skill Development
Attention to Detail
Working in an Italian Workshop Environment

During a three-week placement at Petramundi in Valenza, Italy, I was introduced to the complete process of gemstone cutting and finishing. Beginning with cabochon production, I learned to shape, pre-form, and polish glass stones using a variety of grinding and polishing wheels before progressing to faceting. Over the following weeks, I worked through the full workflow of faceted stone production, from pre-forming and dopping to cutting and polishing emerald, oval, and brilliant-cut stones.

Much of the faceting instruction took place despite a language barrier, relying on demonstrations, diagrams, hand gestures, and a shared understanding developed at the workbench. Through this process, I gained an appreciation for the patience, precision, and problem-solving required to transform raw material into a finished gemstone. The experience deepened my understanding of gemstones from a manufacturing perspective and provided valuable insight into the craftsmanship behind one of the most important components of fine jewelry.