The two-year, comprehensive Jewelry Making & Repair program prepares students to become professionals in the industry. The program attracts students from around the world who share a love of materials, artistic expression, and working with their hands to make jewelry that transcends time.
Jewelry fabrication and stone setting requires exceptional hand skills, focus, and a thorough understanding of materials. Throughout your studies, you’ll continuously challenge yourself and fine-tune your skills. You’ll create and repair jewelry of lasting value using traditional techniques and modern technology.
You’ll work on increasingly complex projects to develop proficiency in:
"The amount of precision and the quality of work the program demands was like nothing I had ever encountered. I completed projects that I never thought I could make."
Colleen Matthews JM '12
View More Jewelry Making & Repair Alumni Profiles
Second-year Jewelry Making & Repair student Willow Coronella JM '20 gave us an in-depth tour of the bench she's set up for work from home after our building closed. To keep living spaces safe, she and her classmates have modified the types of projects they're doing – but they've still found plenty to do.
Dissatisfied with sitting at a computer working on logistics, and recalling with fondness her experience making art with her hands, Willow applied to NBSS on something of a whim. Now, almost two years later, she's nearly ready to graduate from the Jewelry Making & Repair program with a full set of skills for her new career. In this interview soon after our building closed in mid-March, we talk about her work, and how she's enthusiastic about not only making, but academia and research too.
The intersection of technology and craft is fraught with misunderstanding, especially in an age of increasing automation. At NBSS though, the Jewelry Making & Repair program is proof that embracing visionary technology can enhance traditional handwork without replacing it. Under the leadership of Department Head Ann Cahoon JM '02, the program has acquired five new high-precision microscopes that allow students to more easily work on the complex designs that have become common in contemporary jewelry.
Current Jewelry Making & Repair student Kailey Maraglia JM '21 left a corporate apprenticeship to pursue jewelry making training at NBSS. Though working quickly had been highly valued at her previous job, her first few days in the JM program felt like a dramatic slam on the brakes and a parallel to her time in the Marine Corps. Read how through making a twisted wire ring, Kailey learned "that slowing down was the only way I could really pay attention to the work my hands were doing."
Take a virtual tour of e. scott originals, a boutique jewelry store in Somerville, MA owned and operated by Emily Scott Surette JM '07. The cozy 415 sq ft space is filled with vintage furniture and hand-crafted jewelry of all kinds for sale. A small showroom and consultation area fill the front, and you can see straight through to Emily's workspace in the back. She has operated this boutique storefront for nine years, growing into a local go-to for unique, handmade, custom jewelry.
The work of Emily Scott Surette JM '07 aims to be timeless: a ready-to-wear style that's functional while still elegant, found everywhere from the hands of local brides-to-be, to the inside of swag bags at the Oscars. Her dedication to the craft keeps Emily going, and her jewelry business thriving. "Working with your hands has a bearing on your self-esteem," Emily says. "Making a tangible product that you can hold and can say 'I made that' is huge. It does a lot for someone's self-confidence. I wouldn't trade it for anything."