The Jewelers Mutual Group has invested $10 million in a collaboration with Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) to train jewelry artisans and innovators.
The partnership will extend over 10 years and be allocated to bench-jeweler education in North America, Jewelers Mutual said last week. The funding will support a number of projects, including the Bench Education Endowment (B.E.E.) by Jewelers Mutual Endowed Scholarship Fund, a yearly scholarship program; an academic program enhancement; and upgraded jewelry-making technology and equipment. Through the initiatives, the groups hope to expand job opportunities and strengthen links between graduates and retailers, manufacturers, and designers.
The academic collaboration aims to bridge the talent gap between education and skills training to prepare the next generation of bench jewelers, it said. These specialized jewelers are skilled craftspeople who fabricate, mend and restore fine pieces at the most sensitive stage of the jewelry value chain…