Top 10 Jewelry Schools

Jewelry Discussion
1

Can anyone tell me what are the Top 10 or 20 Jewelry Design schools
in the country, with the best well rounded program?

Thanks.
Cynthia

2

Try these 8

Tyler School of Art, Temple University; Philadelphia
University for the Arts, Philadelphia   (Class of 76)
Moore College of Art; Philadelphia
California College of Arts & Crafts; Oakland
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts; Maine
Cranbrook Academy of Art; Michigan
Jewelry Arts Institute; NY NY
Rhode Island School of Design; Providence

Jim Mannella
Unique & Precious, Inc
www.uniqueandprecious.com

3 
Tyler School of Art, Temple University; Philadelphia University for
the Arts, Philadelphia   (Class of 76) Moore College of Art;
Philadelphia California College of Arts & Crafts; Oakland Haystack
Mountain School of Crafts; Maine Cranbrook Academy of Art; Michigan
Jewelry Arts Institute; NY NY Rhode Island School of Design;
Providence

I missed the first posting on this, so maybe I’m off topic, but I
don’t think this is at all reflective of the top ten jewelry schools.
This is a list reflective of some of the top art schools which is an
entirely different topic. If you want to talk about top jewelry
schools you have to include Alan Revere’s school, North Bennet Street
School in Boston and a whole bunch of other schools that teach you
how to make jewelry, not art. Mind you this is coming from someone
who’s child attends RISD and has employed numerous people trained at
both art and jewelry schools. For the most part the best jewelers
come out of jewelry schools not art schools.

Daniel R. Spirer, GG
Spirer Somes Jewelers
1794 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02140
617-491-6000
@spirersomes
www.spirersomes.com

4

I find “best of” lists are subjective…it depends on what any
student is looking for…specialization in classical jewellery?
specialization in enameling? how about something close to home? any
school has two main components that make it or break it: teachers
and students. teachers by definition love what they do. it is up
to students to try and absorb it.

on a parallel, I met a flint-knapper recently (he makes reproduction
neolithic arrowheads knives etc)…he related to me that one does
not have to speak to teach–one only needs to demonstrate, hence some
flint-knappers charge to simply watch!

cheers! Erhard Kruger

5

Hello Daniel The list I posted are the top ten universities /
colleges that offer degrees in Metal work (Jewelry) and design. They
are not just art schools but some of the best art schools in the
country. I left it to others to add schools of Jewelry and design
such as those you mentioned. I Also attended Stewart’s School of
Jewelry in Jupiter Fl. (1985) they never taught jewelry repair and
stone setting per say at the Philadelphia University of Art and it
was an interesting course. PUA was a Jewelry design and metal
working degree. Revere’s by far is the all around best Jewelry
School as far as I’m concerned. As another orchidian listed, schools
in various specialties, enameling, model making, stone cutting and
jewelry repair abound. And it all depends on what exactly a person is
looking for.

Jim Mannella