Jewellery CAD courses in the UK
If you want to learn jewellery CAD, the choice is wider than it looks: general 3D software, jewellery-specific packages, classroom courses, online courses and one-to-one tuition. This guide sets out what to learn and in what order, how the names people compare differ in kind, whether to learn online or in person, and what our own tuition costs.
It is written by a Rhino trainer, so read it knowing that the CAD tuition we offer is in Rhino.
Last updated 14 October 2026.
What to learn, and in what order
Each step leans on the one before, so the order is worth keeping whichever software you choose.
The software and the basics
The interface, working in millimetres, drawing and editing curves, and building from a reference image. Get this steady first, because everything else leans on it.
Surfaces from curves
Sweep, revolve, loft and extrude. This is how a flat sketch becomes a band, a signet or a shaped shank.
Settings and stones
Boolean operations, bezels and claws, stone libraries, placing and arraying stones, pavé layouts and eternity bands.
A wider range of pieces
Pendants, earrings and objects made of several parts: layers and organisation, hinged elements, mirror and array workflows.
Making it real
Wall thickness checks, STL export, orientation and supports for resin printing, then what a caster needs and in what format.
Your own workflow
Running your own pieces from sketch to print-ready file, until you can repeat the route without help.
Rhino, MatrixGold and 3Design
These are different kinds of tool, not three versions of one thing. What follows is limited to what you can confirm on the vendors' own sites and on McNeel's. We teach Rhino, so we say nothing about how the others compare on speed, price or results.
Rhino
A general-purpose 3D modelling program used across many industries, jewellery among them. McNeel describes Rhino as a host platform for jewellery plug-ins. It is licensed by McNeel, separately from any tuition, so check current options on their site.
McNeel on Rhino for jewelleryMatrixGold
A jewellery design plug-in that runs inside Rhino. McNeel lists it among the jewellery plug-ins that Rhino hosts. It is sold by its own vendor, so check platforms, licence terms and trial options with them.
McNeel's list of jewellery plug-ins3Design
A jewellery-specific CAD package with its own 3D engine. Its maker states on its site that it is not based on Rhino. Check platforms, licence terms and trial options with the vendor.
3Design's own siteHow to check for yourself
- Ask the casting house or print bureau you use which file formats they accept, and whether they prefer one.
- If you hope to work in a particular studio or workshop, ask which package it already uses.
- Read each vendor's own licence terms, system requirements and trial options, rather than trusting a comparison written by someone who sells tuition, this one included.
Online or in person
Both cost the same and both work. Choose whichever suits your week, and swap if it stops suiting it.
In person, Birmingham
One-to-one at our studio in Victoria Mansions, in the Jewellery Quarter. Visits by appointment.
About the Birmingham studioOnline, anywhere in the UK
One-to-one by video call, from wherever you are, with a Windows or Mac machine able to run Rhino 8. Based in London, Manchester, Glasgow or anywhere else? This is the practical route: same tutor, same price, your own files.
How the course worksThree ways to start
The same prices in person or online. Every pack begins with a free 30-minute discovery call, so the sessions are shaped around what you are trying to make. The Rhino licence is bought from McNeel, not from us, and is not included.
Fix one problem
One focused session on the exact thing stopping you.
Best for: Designers who already use Rhino and are stuck on one thing.
1 session, 1 or 2 hours
Your first ring, print-ready
Build a real ring in Rhino, from a curve on screen to a file ready to print.
Best for: Designers who have stalled on Rhino, and bench jewellers adding CAD to their bench work.
5 sessions, 10 hours
Sketch to caster
The full route from a blank Rhino file to a caster-ready pack, across a real range of pieces.
Best for: Complete beginners who want full working proficiency, start to finish.
10 sessions, 20 hours
The full detail of each pack, what you leave with and how a session runs is on the Rhino course page.
Try the method first
Taught by Hamed Arab
- Rhino Authorised Trainer since 2023, Official Rhino Training Centre (Listed on rhino3d.com)
- Author of The CAD/CAM Jeweller, Volume 1
- Three-time Goldsmiths' Craft and Design Council Award winner
- Working jewellery designer, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham
More on the about page, and the studio's own entry in McNeel's training centre directory.
Common questions
Which jewellery CAD software should I learn first?
Start from where your files will go. Ask your casting house or print bureau what they accept, and check whether any studio you hope to work for already uses a package. The CAD tuition we teach is in Rhino.
Can I learn jewellery CAD online?
Yes. Our one-to-one sessions run by video call at the same price as in person. You need a Windows or Mac machine able to run Rhino 8.
Do I need to know Rhino before the first session?
No. Installation, licensing and the interface are taught live in the first session, before you draw a single curve. There is no pre-work.
How many sessions will I need?
As a rough guide, a complete beginner reaches a print-ready and caster-ready workflow over the ten-session pack. Someone who already knows Rhino but is stuck on one area usually needs the five-session pack. A single, specific problem fits into one session.
Do I get a certificate?
Only the ten-session pack includes a certificate of completion from an Official Rhino Training Centre. Single sessions and the five-session pack do not carry one.
Is there a free way to try this before I pay?
Yes. Book the free 30-minute discovery call, work through the free beginner's course, or download the one-page numbers checklist. None needs a payment.
Start with a free 30-min discovery call
We will talk through your goals and the work you want to do, then I will recommend the right course for you. No obligation.
Book a free 30-min discovery callPrefer email? hamed@hamedarab.academy