The Art of Conscious Seeing in Jewellery

Key Course Topics

1. Developing observational accuracy – Training the eye to see without assumption.
2. Using a loupe correctly – Hand positioning, focus, and keeping both eyes open, while maintaining comfort whether seated or standing, and adjusting for optimal lighting conditions.
3. Understanding and identifying jewellery marks – Learning to recognise and document stamps, maker’s marks, assay marks, and other identifying symbols, understanding their variations, and interpreting their meaning for authentication and historical context.
4. Systematic visual documentation – Accurately recording details without subjective interpretation.
5. Training perception through structured exercises – Using a mental ‘grid’ to break down complex details.
6. Recognising authentic vs. altered pieces – Identifying inconsistencies and potential modifications.
7. Interpreting missing or unclear jewellery marks – Understanding what the absence or partial presence of marks may indicate.
8. Practical exercises with real objects – Applying learned techniques on a variety of pieces to refine observation skills and analyse identifying marks.
9. Understanding material aging and wear patterns – Examining how metals, gemstones, and settings change over time, identifying natural patina versus artificial aging, and recognising signs of repairs, alterations, or interventions made throughout an object’s lifetime. Just as handwriting reflects the era of its writer, craftsmanship carries a subtle “signature of its time”—through distinctive techniques, material choices, and construction methods that can offer clues about when, and sometimes where, a piece was made.