Jewelry & Metalsmithing
The jewelry/metals area focuses on the technical development of skills and the conceptual understanding of contemporary jewelry and metalsmithing. Instruction concentrates on contemporary academic and gallery-based work. At the introductory level this offers the foundation for more advanced exploration while establishing a solid technical base of skills through a succession of process-focused courses. The primary goal of the intermediate and advanced levels of instruction is to allow the student to develop a distinctive, effective, intelligent and emotionally honest body of work. In addition, students are encouraged to develop a solid relationship with the field by joining professional organizations, attending symposia and conferences and submitting their own work for exhibition.
Facilities
- Soldering: 4 fully equipped soldering stations with slot hoods, Smith-torches and accessories, pickle-pot.
- Casting: Burn-out kiln with fully-automated kiln-controller, vacuum-debubbilizer and casting unit, centrifugal casting machine, vulcanizer, wax-injector, waxes, wax tools, assorted specialized tools.
- Enameling: 3 enameling kilns and two single-point electronic kiln controllers, full line of Thompson lead-free enamels, kiln trivets and grates, specialized enamel tools and supplies.
- Etching: Capability to do nitric acid, ferric chloride and ferric nitrate etching, bubbilizer tank for ferric chloride etching, resists, mordants. Ventilated hot-patina station.
- Electroplating: Electroplating rectifier with solutions, electrodes and equipment for silver and gold electroplating.
- Polishing: 2 two-station filtered buffing machines with wheels and buffing compounds.
- Drawing: Full-size drawbench and tools.
Specialized enamel tools and supplies include:
- Limoges
- Cloisonné
- Plique-a-jour
- Oils
- Binders
- Oxides
- Foils
CWU News
CWU faculty member awarded Fulbright post-doctoral scholarship
February 23, 2026 by David Leder
Three CWU music ensembles to perform in early March
February 18, 2026 by Office of Marketing and Communications