Last week Sabrina Cunningham and Regina Kerrane, both living in Castlebar, graduated with the first wave of jewellery experts in Ireland. The Retail Jewellers of Ireland teamed up with the Company of Goldsmiths to present certificates to 11 graduates. These graduates become the first to have the knowledge and experience to work and sell jewellery in Ireland. Presenting the certificates in Dublin Castle was the assay master, Ana Izquierdo.
According to Ana Izquierdo, “This is a fantastic initiative set up by the Retail Jewellers of Ireland. It brings together the expertise needed to sell jewellery. It addresses the need for knowledgeable salespeople, who can assist the consumer with accurate information about their purchase, the precious metal standard, and the quality and clarity of precious gems. These graduates are the industry's way of cancelling out bad practice. The consumer will benefit most from this programme.”
This is the first class of qualifying students of the Step 1 Retail Jewellers of Ireland Programme. This is a staff training and education programme designed to train staff who are new to the jewellery business. The Company of Goldsmiths was established in 1637, and since then through its Assay Office, assays and hallmarks all items of precious metal manufactured in, or imported into, Ireland before they are offered for sale to the public. In Ireland all items of gold, silver, and platinum are subject to compulsory assay and hallmarking. So if the piece of jewellery you are currently wearing has no hallmark, there is a chance it is not precious metal. You can contact the Assay Office via email on [email protected] or phone (01 ) 4751286. Check out the website on www.assay.ie
