Starting a Jewellery Business Later in Life: Michaela’s Story (Podcast Episode)
What happens when you realise the career you’ve built no longer feels creatively fulfilling?
In this episode of the Jewellers Academy podcast, Jessica Rose speaks with Michaela about starting a jewellery business later in life, discovering jewellery making after years in office work, and how studying the Diploma in Silver Jewellery helped her completely change direction.
From evening classes and wax carving workshops to jewellery markets, Etsy and building her own jewellery brand, Michaela shares the honest reality of learning jewellery making as an adult and beginning a creative business from scratch.
If you’ve ever wondered:
Is it too late to start jewellery making?
Can I change careers and become a jeweller?
What’s it really like to study a jewellery diploma?
How do people actually start a jewellery business?
…then this episode is for you.
listen now
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key moments in this episode
02:00 : Introduction to Michaela and her jewellery journey
05:25 : How a trip to Bali sparked an interest in jewellery making
07:30 : Evening classes, wax carving and wanting to learn more
09:25 : Why in-person jewellery training mattered
11:30 : Discovering her creative style and organic jewellery design
12:40 : Creativity, fulfilment and making meaningful jewellery for others
17:50 : Working in travel, office jobs and feeling creatively unfulfilled
20:10 : Redundancy, career change and finding the Diploma in Silver Jewellery
22:45 : Why Michaela chose the 7-week intensive diploma in Brighton
25:55 : Learning stone setting and developing technical skills
29:10 : Creating the final diploma project
32:20 : Starting a jewellery business after the diploma
34:10 : Etsy, markets, Instagram and building a jewellery brand
36:40 : Advice for anyone starting jewellery making later in life
38:20 : Why Michaela recommends studying at Jewellers Academy Brighton
39:35 : Where to follow Michaela and final thoughts
Discovering Jewellery Making Later in Life
Although Michaela had always loved jewellery, she only started making it around two years ago.
The spark came unexpectedly during a trip to Bali, where a rainy-day silver ring workshop was suggested. Ironically, it never rained, so the workshop never happened but the idea stayed with her long after returning home to Brighton.
Back in the UK, Michaela began searching for jewellery making classes in Brighton and started experimenting with wax carving workshops and evening jewellery courses. But very quickly, she realised that three hours a week simply wasn’t enough - she wanted to fully immerse herself in jewellery making and develop her skills properly.
Why In-Person Jewellery Training Made Such a Difference
One of the most interesting parts of the conversation is Michaela’s honesty about learning styles and why in-person jewellery training mattered so much to her.
While there’s an enormous amount of jewellery content available online (and we have brilliant online Diploma courses), she found it overwhelming trying to piece everything together alone.
As a visual learner, she wanted:
tutors she could ask questions in real time
demonstrations she could physically watch
and a creative studio environment where she could fully focus
Studying in Brighton also meant she could become part of a wider jewellery community - something that became an important part of her journey.
From Office Work to Jewellery Making
Before jewellery, Michaela worked in hospitality, travel and office-based roles.
Although she always considered herself creative, she describes feeling trapped for years in work that didn’t fully fit who she was.
COVID dramatically changed the direction of her career when she lost her travel industry job. Eventually she moved into tax compliance work, but deep down she knew something was missing creatively.
Jewellery making became more than just a hobby - it became a way to reconnect with herself.
One of the most moving moments in the episode is when Michaela explains how making jewellery gives her a sense of fulfilment and peace that she hadn’t experienced before. She describes going to bed excited about creating and feeling deeply connected to the process of making meaningful jewellery for other people.
Choosing the Intensive Diploma in Silver Jewellery
When Michaela discovered the intensive Diploma in Silver Jewellery at Jewellers Academy, she immediately knew it was what she wanted to do.
Unlike weekly evening classes, the intensive diploma allowed her to completely immerse herself in jewellery making over seven full-time weeks in Brighton.
She explains that she wanted:
momentum,
structure,
technical training,
and the opportunity to fully focus on jewellery every day.
The course covered:
soldering,
sawing,
stone setting,
claw settings,
ring making,
and developing a final jewellery project.
Although she already had some jewellery making experience before joining the diploma, Michaela says the course pushed her creatively and technically in ways she hadn’t experienced before.
Learning Stone Setting and Developing Technical Skills
A major highlight of the diploma for Michaela was learning stone setting techniques.
She talks about the challenge of:
claw settings,
multi-stone rings,
soldering settings accurately,
and bringing together multiple jewellery skills in one final design piece.
Like many jewellers, she particularly enjoyed projects that pushed her outside her comfort zone.
The final project became a real turning point because it was the first time she fully combined her own creative ideas with the technical skills she’d learned throughout the diploma.
Building a Jewellery Business From Scratch
Since completing the diploma, Michaela has started building her jewellery business step by step.
She currently:
rents a bench space at the Brighton studio,
sells through Etsy,
shares her work on Instagram,
takes part in jewellery markets,
and is building her own jewellery website.
She also talks honestly about how early-stage business building can feel messy, uncertain and experimental at times but also incredibly exciting.
One of the lovely themes throughout the episode is community. Michaela and another diploma student even signed up for their first jewellery market together shortly after graduating.
It’s a reminder that learning jewellery making later in life doesn’t have to be a lonely journey.
Organic Jewellery, Creativity and Meaningful Design
Michaela’s jewellery style is heavily inspired by:
organic forms,
intuition,
texture,
and one-of-a-kind pieces.
She enjoys techniques like:
wax carving,
water casting,
and creating jewellery that evolves naturally from the materials themselves.
Rather than designing every detail in advance, she often allows the silver to guide the process.
She also loves making jewellery for friends and family, creating deeply personal pieces that feel connected to the person wearing them.
Advice for Anyone Starting Jewellery Making Later in Life
Towards the end of the episode, Michaela shares advice for anyone thinking about starting jewellery making or changing careers creatively:
“Just stick with it.”
She speaks openly about difficult days, creative dips and moments of uncertainty, but emphasises that consistency matters far more than perfection.
Whether that means:
making one piece,
posting on Instagram,
sketching ideas,
or simply continuing to show up,
those small steps build momentum over time.
Her story is such an encouraging reminder that there is no ‘right’ age to begin something creative.
jewellery diplomas - in-person and online
These projects are from the Diploma in Silver Jewellery that Michaela tool. It is taught in-person in Brighton, England and online available worldwide
Learn in-person
If you’d love to learn jewellery making in-person like Michaela, you can join us in Brighton, England at Jewellers Academy Brighton.
We offer two ways to study for your Diploma in Brighton:
one day a week over the course of a year, or
a 7-week full-time intensive course, like Michaela completed.
The intensive option is especially popular with students travelling from further afield, and we’ve welcomed jewellers from all over the world to study with us in Brighton.
Learn online
And if travelling to Brighton isn’t possible, or you need more flexibility around work and family life, our online Diploma courses offer a highly supportive alternative. With mentored support, accountability and flexible learning, our online students achieve consistently high success rates while studying from home.
You can explore our online Diploma courses here:
Jewellers Academy Online Diplomas
About Michaela
Michaela is a Brighton-based jeweller and founder of Nymfero Jewellery (meaning fairy metal), creating organic, intuitive silver jewellery inspired by texture, movement and meaningful connection. After beginning her jewellery journey later in life, she studied the intensive Diploma in Silver Jewellery at Jewellers Academy and now continues to develop her practice from the Brighton studio community. Drawing inspiration from techniques such as wax carving and water casting, Michaela creates one-of-a-kind pieces that feel deeply personal to the people who wear them.
Follow Michaela's jewellery journey https://www.instagram.com/nymferro/