During the months of November and December, there will be an intern in the workshop.
This unique and sweet guest is absolutely crazy about gemstones and metals and would like to get some more experience in a goldsmith shop. Before he can go to a (yet to be determined) MBO education, I will accompany him one day a week for a few months. This is not training as a goldsmith but purely experience in terms of work and social interaction, but he does rotate in the forge to some extent.
Right now I am teaching this new intern the first steps of the process: how to read a caliper, learning how to saw (first a straight line, then curves and later figures). Later I will also teach him other "basics" like calculating sizes and things like chemistry and metallurgy. Later I will also let him get out of the workshop, the "safe environment," more often and have contact with customers. When that goes smoothly and thus the social skills and other qualities needed to get an MBO education and further in society are up to par, he will probably go for the real training at the School of Jewelry Making , but another education is still a possibility. Hopefully I will see him back in year four as an intern in the workshop!
Pepijn, welcome to The Gold Xperience !