Ernie Smith saw some good traffic at his table at the Metal Jewellery Design course in Campbell River April 14.
Photos by Denise Titian
North Island College Campbell River Campus hosted an open house April 14 to celebrate their most recent graduates of the Metal Jewellery Design course.
According to Continuing Education Coordinator Julia Peters, the eight-month metal jewelry design course is in its fifth year and is gaining in popularity.
The 32-week program is designed to give students the technical skills to create jewellery as an expression of art or as a source of income.
Students learn a variety of metal jewellery making skills, including engraving, which is popular in northwest coast aboriginal jewellery art.
They also learn other techniques in jewellery making from experienced instructors, including soldering and stone setting. Finally, they learn professional business practises skills that will help build their foundation as self-employed jewellery artists.
Ernie Smith has spent much of his adult life serving either as elected chief or as a councillor at Ehattesaht First Nation. He also helped build his nation’s forestry company and serves as its president.
“I am looking to retire,” he told Ha-Shilth-Sa. “My wife Darlene and I are looking to start a business – a shop to sell native art work in Campbell River,” he continued.
Smith said he’s been an artist all his life, carving, painting, making drums, but he’s never really done anything with it and he’s never made jewellery.
In 2015, the Smith family went to a rock show where they came upon an information booth that described a jewellery-making course offered at North Island College. I saw that and got interested,” he said.
Smith had his works on display at the back of NIC’s Metal Jewellery studio during the open house. Some of his items were for sale, but some were specially made for family members.
A large silver bracelet, for example, featured a eagle’s head with a yellow diamond inlaid in the eye. The letters ‘D’ and ‘S’ are engraved on the bracelet, a special gift for his wife, Darlene.
Victoria Wells attended the open house. She was delighted when her cousin Ernie gave her an engraved serpent ring with an amethyst stone set in the design.
Eight other students had their works on display, showcasing a variety of preferences and vision in jewellery making.
The most valuable thing Smith said he learned had to do with the variety of skills he picked up in metal jewellery-making.
“I learned engraving, soldering, molding, stone setting, gemology and I made my first gold piece,” he said.
He hopes to take these broadened skills to make his jewellery unique, by adding gems, shells and other materials. “I want to try to be creative and offer something different,” he added.
“I really love this course and I recommend it to any and all of our people who are artists,” Smith said. “I am almost 50 years old and I’m sure there are lots of young students out there struggling; this is a very good course,” he said.
The next Metal Jewellery Design program is scheduled to start in September 2016 and may already be full with 14 registered students. Peters says there may even be waiting lists for this course in the coming months.
