Jewellery designing
Fascination for adornment of self is as old as the history of humankind.
Jewellery design for centuries has been the domain of artisans who gained and passed on the expertise to their progeny. The Indian gem and jewellery industry accounts for nearly 43 percent of the world's total exports and is the second major foreign exchange earner for the country. Master craftsmen with their own distinctive and traditional designs and patterns have raptured not just the domestic market but have gained appreciation and acceptance the world over. The profession has become highly skilled and mechanised though unskilled labour still forms a large part of the workforce.
Today jewellery design as a career is steadily grabbing international attention. India has produced award-winning jewellery and accessory designers. India is the largest consumer of gold amounting to about one-third to one-fourth of the world production. Marked at Rs 40,000 crore, it is an ever-growing industry.
Where to study these courses?
There are various institutions across the country. Few institutes offer diploma and certificate courses too.
National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) offers courses in Accessory Design. NIFT centers in Delhi and Kolkata, SNTT Women’s University in association with PV Polytechnic offers courses in Jewellery Design and Jewellery Manufacturing.
Dr. Dharmambal Govt. Women’s Polytechnic College, Tharamani, Chennai also offers classes in Jewellery Designing. This is the only course conducted by the Govt. in the area of Jewellery Technology. The World Gold Council has sponsored 48 lakhs to this College, which enrolls men as well as women in this course. To get trained in technology for Gold Jewellery manufacturing, one can join the one-year training lessons. The training fee will be Rs. 15,000. The various phases of the training will include- Basic metallurgy, assess jewellery and stone jewellery and fining the hallmark purity of the Gold.
There are courses for Jewellery designing through Computers (3 Months), evaluating the hallmark value of gold (3 Weeks), polishing (1 Week), Casting technology (2 Months), Embedding stones (2 Months). One can also learn Jewellery Promotion Management and Jewellery Project Management in a short period.
Technology in Jewellery Production and Designing
When you walk into a jewellery store, you usually end up buying what is on display. What if you want a particular design with specific stones cut to your liking with desired shine? That could be possible soon as more and more jewelers fall on technology to inspire new designs sought by customers. While that vision is a few years away, jewellery designing has pretty much come out of the closet: It is no longer a trade carried out by semi-literate goldsmiths in family vaults. Instead, jewellery designers are using nifty software and computer-aided designs to create exquisite pieces.
Indian women have now moved over the 'Y' mania, flaunting designs like snake and oval shaped and chokers studded with colored stones. Tools like gemological microscopes, builders, matrix and polariscopes have enabled jewellery designers to experiment with intricate motifs and give a plethora of choice to women.
Technology is also available for production control, supply chains and inventory management. “Automatic setup, advanced software and technical expertise increases the efficiency of workers by almost five times and reduces discrepancies by about 50-70%. Because of this the finished product is of better quality and can compete with international designs", says Roshanlal of Nakoda Thangamaligai.
Jewel CAD (computer aided design) and CAM (computer aided manufacturing) -- 3D modeling systems -- `matrix’ and `rhinoceros’ are some of the software’s that are commonly used by jewellery designers. These software’s are imported from Italy, Germany, and costs around Rs. 10,000 to Rs 40,000. The final product is then obtained as per the specification and data fed in the computer.
Eternity ring designs are quick and easy with a more advanced, interactive Eternity Ring Builder that draws upon every gem available in the program. Set the shape, size, number, and order of gems and then define gem spacing and other dimensions of the band.
Software that helps enlarge the 3 D versions when creating complex and baroque designs and models comes with a timer attached that automatically records the time spent on a particular project. The greatest impact of utilisation of such technology is time saving. Up gradation of technology saves about 40-60% of time that is spent on moulding and casting a piece of jewel.
Job Opportunities
The job opportunities are immense in this arena. There are placements and campus interviews for students from reputed institutions. Some people may also start their own shop. There are job opportunities in various banks as appraiser. One can also join as marketing head in various firms. Reputed MNCs like TATA have also started recruiting people in this plethora. Exporting Jewelry has become a major revenue Market for our Economy.
Wednesday, 21 March 2007
Investing in arts....
In May 2004, Picasso's 1904 oil painting, Garçon à la pipe (Boy with a pipe), sold at Sotheby's in New York for $104m (£58m), becoming the most expensive painting ever sold at auction. The fact that the picture had sold in 1950 for $30,000 inevitably strengthened the popular notion that art has become an attractive investment opportunity. The more spectacular gains in art values in recent decades have spawned a new sector within the financial services industry - that of art investment analysis.Art has taken on a new identity as an "asset class" similar to stocks and bonds. But while a masterpiece on the drawing-room wall arguably brings a little more social cachet and visual pleasure than shares in, say, Nokia or Cisco Systems, many people in the art world worry that the aesthetic content of a work of art can become overshadowed by the intoxicating aura of its dollar value.
In the colorful world of art, the business of investing is black and white. You buy a piece of artwork, and hope the artist's work goes up in value. Experts say you might not need to wait long. It can happen within hours of your purchase. Investing in art is investing in your own aesthetic. You have to want to live with the artwork, but you also have to educate yourself on the business end. In addition, you have to be careful, because tax laws are constructed in a way where if you buy art as an investment, you cannot 'derive pleasure' from it. In other words, it cannot hang in your home. Just lock it in a vault.investing in art is the hottest trend prevailing worldwide and turning into a fine art by itself. In addition, the investment market has touched the Indian shores and is playing up to the art galleries in metros like Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai. With its wide range of ancient, modern abstracts and contemporary paintings available in mixed media Indian art itself is finding connoisseurs worldwide. An eclectic showcase of colorful artworks in pure forms and in mixed media is currently floating in the market waiting to become big investments in the near future. Artists, art dealers and investors all over the world are trying to cracking the code of the value of priceless masterpieces and their resale value.
Investing in Art is on the threshold of becoming a sunrise industry for art dealers. While investment is a heady decision and buying a painting is choice of the heart it is not quite clear as of now if an art lover, for the sake of art would want to resell for a higher price. Until about ten years ago, art investment was unheard of. Rarely does it happen that a masterpiece unearthed from an obscure flea market, sold in an art gallery for cheap is later resold ten times its value.
Now, you have to find out how you can invest in art. Ask yourself,” am I interested in art?” This may seem like a basic question, but too often novices enter the art market without a passion for the medium. The result is that they make poor choices and end up with pieces they don't even like. To find out how far you are knowledgeable about this business, if you took an art history course in college, then good for you. However, don't think that your knowledge begins and ends there. The art world is like any other market, it lives on what is happening today and it hunts for what will happen tomorrow.One way to find out what kind of art lover you are is by visiting galleries and art museums. Museums will give you an indication of the field; galleries will tell you what is going on in the world of art right now. Think of galleries and shows as the marketplace; you must attend them to know what is going on. As a bonus, gallery staff can usually answer many of your questions -- but keep in mind, they are salespeople.
When it comes to art, or any investment for that matter, it is easy to think that you know what you are doing. After all, you see the success of some and you think, why not me? Art, like property, has a lot to do with business, but even more to do with the buyer's taste. Experience plays an important role in this investment process. While a first time buyer isn’t likely to understand how and why the market swings on taste, he isn't necessarily at a disadvantage. Perhaps the best way to insure your investment is by purchasing something you like. Art prices rise and fall, so if you buy something that you like, you will be able to live with it through the lean years.
A.R. Murugadas, an art investor, who has made huge bucks in the process says, “Trading in art is similar in some ways to dealing in other commodities -- it is subject to the market pressures of supply and demand. However, art prices vary with other, sometimes arbitrary, factors -- including aesthetics, authenticity, condition and rarity.”
Everything comes with a ‘risk factor’. As in any other business proposition, it is important to whet the fake from the original, a masterpiece from mundane, oil painted canvas from an acrylic. To minimize risks of bad investments avoid buying genuine fake paintings, as reselling them is tough. Like a picture, a painting speaks a thousand words and makes billions for the investor. For any painting to command that priceless ness, get adequate knowledge first from the art world. Art magazines and gallery newsletters, online guidance is some ways to prepare oneself before investing in art. Like any investment, art is a gamble. Do your research. Buy what you love because even though it might go through a transitory devaluation, the intrinsic value of the work is still there.
In the colorful world of art, the business of investing is black and white. You buy a piece of artwork, and hope the artist's work goes up in value. Experts say you might not need to wait long. It can happen within hours of your purchase. Investing in art is investing in your own aesthetic. You have to want to live with the artwork, but you also have to educate yourself on the business end. In addition, you have to be careful, because tax laws are constructed in a way where if you buy art as an investment, you cannot 'derive pleasure' from it. In other words, it cannot hang in your home. Just lock it in a vault.investing in art is the hottest trend prevailing worldwide and turning into a fine art by itself. In addition, the investment market has touched the Indian shores and is playing up to the art galleries in metros like Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai. With its wide range of ancient, modern abstracts and contemporary paintings available in mixed media Indian art itself is finding connoisseurs worldwide. An eclectic showcase of colorful artworks in pure forms and in mixed media is currently floating in the market waiting to become big investments in the near future. Artists, art dealers and investors all over the world are trying to cracking the code of the value of priceless masterpieces and their resale value.
Investing in Art is on the threshold of becoming a sunrise industry for art dealers. While investment is a heady decision and buying a painting is choice of the heart it is not quite clear as of now if an art lover, for the sake of art would want to resell for a higher price. Until about ten years ago, art investment was unheard of. Rarely does it happen that a masterpiece unearthed from an obscure flea market, sold in an art gallery for cheap is later resold ten times its value.
Now, you have to find out how you can invest in art. Ask yourself,” am I interested in art?” This may seem like a basic question, but too often novices enter the art market without a passion for the medium. The result is that they make poor choices and end up with pieces they don't even like. To find out how far you are knowledgeable about this business, if you took an art history course in college, then good for you. However, don't think that your knowledge begins and ends there. The art world is like any other market, it lives on what is happening today and it hunts for what will happen tomorrow.One way to find out what kind of art lover you are is by visiting galleries and art museums. Museums will give you an indication of the field; galleries will tell you what is going on in the world of art right now. Think of galleries and shows as the marketplace; you must attend them to know what is going on. As a bonus, gallery staff can usually answer many of your questions -- but keep in mind, they are salespeople.
When it comes to art, or any investment for that matter, it is easy to think that you know what you are doing. After all, you see the success of some and you think, why not me? Art, like property, has a lot to do with business, but even more to do with the buyer's taste. Experience plays an important role in this investment process. While a first time buyer isn’t likely to understand how and why the market swings on taste, he isn't necessarily at a disadvantage. Perhaps the best way to insure your investment is by purchasing something you like. Art prices rise and fall, so if you buy something that you like, you will be able to live with it through the lean years.
A.R. Murugadas, an art investor, who has made huge bucks in the process says, “Trading in art is similar in some ways to dealing in other commodities -- it is subject to the market pressures of supply and demand. However, art prices vary with other, sometimes arbitrary, factors -- including aesthetics, authenticity, condition and rarity.”
Everything comes with a ‘risk factor’. As in any other business proposition, it is important to whet the fake from the original, a masterpiece from mundane, oil painted canvas from an acrylic. To minimize risks of bad investments avoid buying genuine fake paintings, as reselling them is tough. Like a picture, a painting speaks a thousand words and makes billions for the investor. For any painting to command that priceless ness, get adequate knowledge first from the art world. Art magazines and gallery newsletters, online guidance is some ways to prepare oneself before investing in art. Like any investment, art is a gamble. Do your research. Buy what you love because even though it might go through a transitory devaluation, the intrinsic value of the work is still there.
Nishabd---Speechless
Some Love stories are never meant to be understood... indeed it is true. Ram Gopal Varma’s film Nishabd, with all its strength and shortcomings, is a piece of quality cinema that talks openly and unabashedly about things and emotions that many would prefer to be flounced under the carpet.
The public may not be kind to this movie. After all, there is no song, no item numbers, no acts of heroism. There is serenity in the quality of the picture. You may feel close to the locations but still... why will u care? The editing is an art. Still, do not care because the story line is something, which may be considered obscene (!!!)
Bodies’ age, feelings don’t. ‘Nishabd’ is the story of a 60-year-old photographer (Amitabh Bachchan) who gets attracted to an 18-year-old girl (Jiah Khan) who is a friend of his daughter. It is the story of mutual love between two people with a huge age gap between them. It is a moving tale of a man torn between his emotions and rationality, between his heart and his mind, between his family and himself as a person. The man listens to his heart, concedes to the girl that he is in love with her. He admits to his wife (Revathy) that he has developed feelings for a girl the age of his daughter. And by doing so he loses the respect of his wife and his daughter.This is the rationale presented by the movie’s 60-year-old protagonist while explaining his attraction towards a teenager. This attraction, though not uncommon, is seldom expressed in real life. And those who express it mostly end up like the protagonist of ‘Nishabd’.
The movie rests solely on the dependable shoulders of Amitabh Bachchan. If not for him, ‘Nishabd’ would have ended up as a average product. His dialogues in the film are plain, but it is the way he delivers them that lends the impact. Many things about his character remain vocally unsaid, but it is his expressions and his glances that make them explicit. He brings out the inner conflict of his character in his body language, his eyes and his expressions. Briefly, it is a performance worth saluting.Jiah Khan is perfectly suited to her role of a girl quite careless about the way she is dressed. There is a sexual undertone to her character in the film but it does not cross the finer line of glamour and obscenity. And her performance of it is not bad for a first timer.
Revathy’s acting is natural. Nasser (as her brother in the film) is effective.‘Nishabd’ goes to prove that Ram Gopal Varma has not lost his magic touch. The eccentric filmmaker is truly the master of his craft. The cinematography and the camera angles are superb.
For all those who love art with amendment, this is the movie!!
The public may not be kind to this movie. After all, there is no song, no item numbers, no acts of heroism. There is serenity in the quality of the picture. You may feel close to the locations but still... why will u care? The editing is an art. Still, do not care because the story line is something, which may be considered obscene (!!!)
Bodies’ age, feelings don’t. ‘Nishabd’ is the story of a 60-year-old photographer (Amitabh Bachchan) who gets attracted to an 18-year-old girl (Jiah Khan) who is a friend of his daughter. It is the story of mutual love between two people with a huge age gap between them. It is a moving tale of a man torn between his emotions and rationality, between his heart and his mind, between his family and himself as a person. The man listens to his heart, concedes to the girl that he is in love with her. He admits to his wife (Revathy) that he has developed feelings for a girl the age of his daughter. And by doing so he loses the respect of his wife and his daughter.This is the rationale presented by the movie’s 60-year-old protagonist while explaining his attraction towards a teenager. This attraction, though not uncommon, is seldom expressed in real life. And those who express it mostly end up like the protagonist of ‘Nishabd’.
The movie rests solely on the dependable shoulders of Amitabh Bachchan. If not for him, ‘Nishabd’ would have ended up as a average product. His dialogues in the film are plain, but it is the way he delivers them that lends the impact. Many things about his character remain vocally unsaid, but it is his expressions and his glances that make them explicit. He brings out the inner conflict of his character in his body language, his eyes and his expressions. Briefly, it is a performance worth saluting.Jiah Khan is perfectly suited to her role of a girl quite careless about the way she is dressed. There is a sexual undertone to her character in the film but it does not cross the finer line of glamour and obscenity. And her performance of it is not bad for a first timer.
Revathy’s acting is natural. Nasser (as her brother in the film) is effective.‘Nishabd’ goes to prove that Ram Gopal Varma has not lost his magic touch. The eccentric filmmaker is truly the master of his craft. The cinematography and the camera angles are superb.
For all those who love art with amendment, this is the movie!!
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