As artificial intelligence transforms white-collar work and major employers scale back graduate hiring, Queensmith is raising the alarm over a different but connected crisis: the rapid disappearance of commercially trained goldsmiths in the UK.
The company has launched an in-house academy after failing to recruit bench-ready jewellers to the standard required for fine diamond jewellery manufacturing.
The move, described by its CEO as “a commercial necessity,” reflects what he believes is a wider structural issue in Britain’s skills pipeline.
“For years, the UK economy has leaned heavily on services,” states Brett Afshar CEO of Queensmith.
“Manufacturing was hollowed out by globalisation. Now AI is reshaping service-sector jobs. But at the same time, we’ve allowed high-skill vocational crafts, like fine jewellery making, to quietly decline.”
A craft under pressure
Despite strong consumer demand for fine jewellery, the company says it struggled to find goldsmiths with hands-on experience in commercial production.
Many university graduates, while creative and academically trained, lacked exposure to the realities of working at the bench in a high-quality production environment.
“We met talented graduates who had never set with a real diamond,” the CEO said. “They’d been encouraged to think about launching their own brands, but not necessarily trained in the technical jewellery skills that businesses like ours rely on.”
Faced with a shrinking pool of experienced craftspeople, the company took the unusual step of building its own academy from scratch.
The Queensmith Jewellery Academy members are trained to develop the level of technical expertise expected within renowned fine jewellery houses, with a strong emphasis on working with fine, precious materials.
Alongside diamonds, students gain hands-on experience setting delicate and high-value gemstones such as emeralds, which demand both precision and a deep understanding of material properties to handle safely.
Advanced techniques, including microscope setting, a rare and highly specialised skill within the industry, form a core part of the programme, underscoring the academy’s commitment to excellence.
The centuries-old art of pouliage, where goldsmiths use fine thread to polish the tiniest and most intricate details, is another skill these young jewellers are unlikely to learn elsewhere.
Equipping them with time-tested techniques, while utilising state of the art equipment, is what’s going to set apart their skillset for the rest of their careers.
Overall, the programme prioritises the precision, discipline, and breadth of technical knowledge required of a modern goldsmith or diamond setter, equipping graduates to produce the calibre of jewellery associated with leading, high-end houses.
20-times oversubscription
The first intake of 20 trainees was oversubscribed 20 times over, highlighting strong demand among young people for vocational pathways into specialist crafts.
All 20 recruits remain with the business and are now training in high-demand skills that are increasingly rare in the UK.
The investment came at significant cost and risk. Establishing the academy required substantial capital outlay, senior mentorship time and long-term commitment, all against a backdrop of rising employment costs.
“We don’t mass produce overseas,” the CEO said. “We create our rings in London. That comes at a price. But if we want these skills to survive locally, businesses have to step up, because right now, the pipeline simply isn’t delivering.”
A bigger economic question
The company believes its experience reflects a broader national challenge. As globalisation reduced domestic production and universities shifted towards academic and conceptual training models, employer-ready vocational skills in specialist sectors have become scarcer.
At the same time, automation and AI are beginning to reshape traditional graduate career paths within the service economy, raising questions about how the UK prepares young people for long-term, resilient careers.
“There’s huge demand for skilled jewellers,” the CEO added. “These are stable, highly skilled, valuable roles. But if we don’t actively rebuild these pathways, we risk losing an entire generation of British craftsmanship.”
Brett argues that employer-led academies could play a critical role in strengthening the UK’s vocational economy but warns that businesses cannot shoulder the burden alone.
“If we want ‘Made in Britain’ to mean something, we need to invest in the people who make it possible,” Afshar said. “The question isn’t just who will buy British jewellery in ten years, it’s who will actually be trained to make it.”
As debates continue about the future of work in the age of AI, the company believes the answer may lie not only in digital innovation, but in rebuilding Britain’s capacity for highly skilled, locally rooted craftsmanship.
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