Michaela’s Jewellery Journey: Starting a Jewellery Business Later in Life
If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s “too late” to start jewellery making, you’re not alone.
Many students who join us at Jewellers Academy Brighton have spent years working in completely different careers before finally giving themselves permission to explore something creative.
In this week’s Jewellers Academy podcast episode, Michaela shares her journey from office work into jewellery making and her experience studying the Intensive Diploma in Silver Jewellery in Brighton.
Her story is such a lovely reminder that there is no one “right” path into jewellery and it’s never too late to begin.
“I Just Wanted to Learn More”
Michaela first discovered jewellery making after a trip to Bali sparked her curiosity about silver jewellery workshops.
Back home in Brighton, she booked onto a wax carving class just to see if she enjoyed it.
“I just wanted to see if I liked it,” she said. “And I really enjoyed it straight away.”
She started attending evening jewellery classes and experimenting with techniques like wax carving and sand casting, but after a while she realised something important:
Three hours a week simply wasn’t enough anymore.
“I really wanted to get stuck in,” she explained.
Finding the Intensive Diploma
When Michaela came across the Intensive Diploma in Silver Jewellery at Jewellers Academy Brighton, she immediately knew it was exactly what she was looking for.
After visiting one of our Brighton Open Houses and chatting with our Studio Manager Lisa, she decided to take the leap and sign up for the course.
At the same time, Michaela had recently found out she was being made redundant from her office job.
Before jewellery, she’d worked in hospitality, travel and office-based roles.
“It just never really felt like me,” she shared. “It felt like a prison for so many years.”
Creativity, though, had always been there.
“I was always drawing, painting, decorating rooms,” she said. “I always had that in me.”
Learning Jewellery Making in Person
For Michaela, the immersive format of the diploma was exactly what she needed.
“When I have my head set on something, I’m all or nothing,” she laughed.
After years of shorter evening classes, she loved being able to fully immerse herself in jewellery making every day and build real momentum at the bench.
The diploma covers techniques including:
sawing
soldering
filing
polishing
forming
and stone setting
While Michaela already had some experience before joining the course, she quickly found herself learning completely new techniques.
“The first week felt like a nice recap,” she explained. “Then suddenly it was like… this is new, and this is new!”
She especially loved learning stone setting and creating her final project piece using all the skills she’d developed throughout the diploma.
Jewellery That Feels Personal
Michaela’s jewellery style is beautifully organic and intuitive.
Rather than planning everything out in advance, she enjoys responding to the materials as she works.
“You start with this lump of wax and you don’t know what’s going to happen to it.”
She especially loves creating meaningful pieces for friends and family.
“That’s what brings me the most joy,” she said. “Seeing people wearing something I made for them.”
The Brighton Studio Community
One of the things Michaela loved most about studying in Brighton was the community that came with learning in person.
For many students, the studio becomes:
a creative home
a supportive community
and somewhere they feel understood
Since completing the diploma, Michaela has continued renting a bench in the studio, launched her jewellery brand, started selling at markets and begun building her online presence.
Starting a Jewellery Business Later in Life
One of the most inspiring parts of Michaela’s story is seeing what can happen when someone finally gives themselves permission to pursue creativity seriously.
What started as curiosity became evening classes, then a diploma, and now Michaela is building her jewellery business, Nymferro.
Since completing the Intensive Diploma in Silver Jewellery, she’s continued developing her beautifully organic jewellery style, selling her work at markets, sharing her creations online and building a growing community around her brand.
She’s also continued working from the Brighton studio, renting a bench alongside other jewellers and developing new collections inspired by texture, intuition and natural forms.
Her story is such a wonderful reminder that you do not need to have everything figured out before you begin.
You just need to start.
Listen to the Full Podcast Episode
In this episode, Jess and Michaela chat about:
starting jewellery making later in life
studying at Jewellers Academy Brighton
learning stone setting
building confidence creatively
growing a jewellery business
and finding fulfilment through making.
If you’ve been dreaming about learning jewellery making more seriously, our Intensive Diploma in Silver Jewellery is designed to help you fully immerse yourself in the craft, build strong technical skills and develop your own creative style in a supportive in-person studio environment in Brighton.
You can find out more about the Intensive Diploma in Silver Jewellery here.
About Michaela
Michaela is the jeweller behind Nymferro, creating beautifully organic pieces inspired by intuition, texture and natural forms.
After completing the Intensive Diploma in Silver Jewellery at Jewellers Academy Brighton, she began building her jewellery business step-by-step through markets, commissions and developing her online presence.
Her work has a wonderfully personal feel, with many of her pieces evolving organically through the making process itself.
You can follow Michaela’s jewellery journey on Instagram at @nymferro.
