Guyana Mining School, E.R. Burrowes School of Art to launch jewellery making course

The Guyana Mining School and Training Centre Inc. (GMSTCI), in collaboration with the E.R. Burrowes School of Art will be launching a free jewellery-making course in March to target aspiring and practicing jewellers and other interested persons.

“This was a very successful programme from last year, which was conceived by the honourable minister [of Natural Resources] Vickram Bharrat. This was his brainchild. The course came about after realising there is a capacity to build for goldsmiths in the jewellery sector because there was a gap,” Administrator of the GMSTCI, Vaughn Felix explained in an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) this week.

The course is designed to target those interested in learning fundamental skills such as drilling, sawing, sanding, filing, forging, texturing, and soldering.

It may also expand to include local semi-precious stones in jewellery designs.

The first iteration of the programme, hosted in July 2022, aimed to train local jewellers to learn and develop essential skills related to jewellery-making processes and techniques.

It saw 30 persons taking part in the pioneer programme over several weeks.

This was to prepare for the Guyana Gold Hub, hosted in Barbados.

The establishment of a Guyana gold jewellery hub in Bridgetown, Barbados is part of the St Barnabas Accord signed by President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, and Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley.

The agreement was signed as a result of the high demand for gold in Barbados, and the high-quality jewellery produced in Guyana, which is of particular interest to residents and tourists in Barbados.

In 2022, a total of 30 persons participated in the training.

Several jewellers were also allowed to showcase their products at the Agro Fest, which was held from May 26-29, 2022 in Barbados.

While this year’s programme will target persons in the mining and jewellery sectors, any interested person will be able to participate.

Just recently, GMSTCI commenced its comprehensive Map Reading and Navigation Short Course to equip miners with the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate difficult terrain and read maps effectively.

That programme will last for three weeks and will conclude in late March.