Bachelor of Jewellery Design + Technology

• 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.

• Business Environment and Communication
• Design Studio 1
• CAD Designs
• Design Research
• Creative Design Studio 1

• Entrepreneurship
• Advanced Design Studio 2
• Advanced CAD Designs
• Advanced Creative Design Studio 2

• Gemmology
• Jewellery Engraving
• Complex CAD Designs
• Gemstone Setting
• Jewellery Repair
• Capstone Project

• Offer diverse skills in design techniques to manufacture jewellery
• Provide creative and quality design solutions for custom-made work
• Provide quality outputs in the mass production of jewellery
• Positively contribute to the ethos of the wider jewellery trade

Graduates of this programme will be able to apply advanced specialist skills required to develop and generate creative design solutions to manufacture jewellery. They will be able to research and analyse a broad range of information to independently select and apply critical thinking in the management of unfamiliar and sometimes complex projects. They will be able to select, adapt, and apply a range of professional business acumen relevant to their own practice. They will be able to independently manage projects and present their work in a variety of contexts.

Graduates of this qualification will be able to work in a range of settings such as manufacturing, goldsmithing, jewellery, and designer organisations, or in a self-employment/freelance practitioner capacity.

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

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 hold one of the following qualifications, or equivalent knowledge, skills and experience:

• Attend an interview along with a portfolio of 6-12 sketches of jewellery designs
• Undertake an audition
• Meet the New Zealand, National Certificate in Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 3 entry requirements or provide evidence of achievement at an equivalent level
• Demonstrate a minimum of 3 years industry or life experience relevant to Jewellery design and creation, in addition, these applicants must undertake a supervised written assessment to demonstrate numeracy and literacy skills including an essay (500 words) followed by a task on interpreting measurements.
• International students will also be required to meet (New Zealand Qualification Framework) NZQF Programme Approval and Accreditation Rules 2013 e.g. an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic score of 6, with no band score lower than 5.5; or the New Zealand Certificate in English Language (Academic) (Level 5).

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)