Student jewelry exhibit combines art and geology

Most people buy jewelry online or in stores, but students from different disciplines at Grand Valley are collaborating to create their own.

Renee Zettle-Sterling, associate professor of art and design, and her Introduction to Jewelry and Metalsmithing class are collaborating with Grand Valley’s Geology Club to present “Cut, Ground, Formed and Fabricated.” The exhibition will feature jewelry crafted by art and design students from cabochon stones created by Geology Club students.

“Cut, Ground, Formed and Fabricated” will be on display in the Mary Idema Pew Library exhibition space from November 25-December 15. A reception celebrating the exhibit will take place December 2 from 5-6 p.m. in the exhibition space.

Zettle-Sterling said the collaboration began with a general interest in geology.

“The stones that we purchase for our projects fascinate both my students and myself. We use the stones in our work, but have no real understanding of what goes into creating them,” said Zettle-Sterling.

The students used the flat-backed cabochon stones to design and fabricate necklaces and bracelets that will be on display during the exhibit. Zettle-Sterling said this has been an experience full of “firsts” for her students.

“For the majority of the students in the class, this is the first time they have used a torch, worked with silver, made a setting for a stone or fabricated a metal,” said Zettle-Sterling. “Designing and constructing pieces of jewelry, responding to the stones made by the Geology Club, working within a deadline and setting up an exhibition are great ways of gaining professional experience in the field of Art and Design.”

Ellie Lubbers, junior studio arts major, said the process of working with the delicate silver was actually more challenging than designing her piece.

“Hammering silver wire and soldering rings were just a few firsts for me in this process of metals fabrication. I may have accidentally obliterated my first silver bezel with excessive heat,” said Lubbers. “If anything is slightly off, things melt, bind wrong or just don’t fit. Sometimes I feel I spend more time cleaning up mistakes than actually making jewelry, but despite the challenges, I look forward to creating more pieces.”

Overall, Lubbers said collaborating with the Geology Club opened her eyes to the multiple facets of a process not entirely contained within her own major.

“Oftentimes people get stuck in their major and never slow down to appreciate the passions and work of others. I certainly saw geology in a new light,” said Lubbers.

For more information about the exhibit, contact Renee Zettle-Sterling at (616) 331-3076 or at [email protected].