Jewelry & Metalsmithing
The Jewelry and Metalwork facilities are some of the best in California. There are 21 work areas well equipped with tools for student use in a space designed to foster a studio community. Our students’ work has received attention from Art Jewelry magazine, 500 Necklaces, 500 Earrings, 500 Wedding Rings, won a Niche Award, a Women’s Jewelry Association scholarship. Three of our students have been recipients of the Society of North American Goldsmiths Educational Endowment Scholarship, one of the most prestigious student awards in the field.
We focus on innovative approaches to teaching traditional and contemporary techniques for jewelry and small metals. The studio atmosphere emphasizes accessibility to make skills, equipment, and processes attainable for students of all backgrounds. The stories of our students’ paths to becoming professional jewelers are diverse and remarkable. They each have dedicated themselves, not only to mastery of their craft, but also to creating opportunities for themselves, their community and their colleagues.
DEGREES & CERTIFICATES
Studio Arts, Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T)
Art, Associate in Arts (AA)
Applied Design Option
Jewelry Entrepreneurship, Certificate of Achievement (C-ACH)
The program is led by Kristin Beeler and supported by experienced professionals, Adjunct Faculty Rachel Shimpock and Hosanna Rubio. We partner regularly with local and national organizations in jewelry, metals and crafts to create a network that supports our students’ goals after leaving the classroom. Our students have continued on to win a Windgate Fellowship, attend GIA, CSU Long Beach and CSU Fullerton, Oregon College of Art and Craft, Kendall College of Art and Design, California College of the Arts, San Diego State University, and Cranbrook Academy of Art.
Our in-depth curriculum is part of an AA in Art with an emphasis in Jewelry and focuses on mastery of technique and materials exploration with separate areas for casting, etching and enameling, and forming and finishing. Core classes include Beginning Jewelry, Casting, and Metalsmithing. The studio has the capability for enameling, etching, hydraulic press, raising, forming, finishing, laser and micro-arc welding, and small scale laser and water jet cutting.
The Jewelry Entrepreneurship Certificate is designed to bundle together courses and milestones that will prepare students for a successful career in the jewelry field. Supported by grants from Strong Workforce of California, students are introduced to a wide range of approaches for jewelry as a professional pursuit.
The Advanced Topics course introduces students to Production and Professional Practices in Jewelry, providing a path to resources for networking, internships, employment, and self-employment.
View all LBCC’s Programs of Study and Curriculum Guides.
(New students need to refer to the current academic year for the most up-to-date info)
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