After eight years in retirement, a jewelry class will once again be offered as an elective this May with the help of Tiffany Wyse-Fisher, assistant professor of art. 

Jewelry began at Goshen College when Marvin Bartell, a professor emeritus of art, joined GC in the 1970s. Bartell first taught the jewelry-making class before leading courses in ceramics and art education. 

Judy Wenig-Horswell, an associate professor of art from 1973-2009, took over the class when she began her tenure. “She was my jewelry professor,” Wyse-Fisher said, “I took every jewelry class I could under her. She was fantastic.” 

After Wenig retired in 2009, Kristina Glick, an associate professor of art from 2009-17 continued teaching the course. “She brought enameling to [the]  jewelry [course], which is not something I ever did under Judy, but enameling was really her medium of specialty,” Wyse-Fisher said. 

Enameling is a technique where you melt powders on top of metal, changing the chemical makeup of the powder to create a mixture of vibrant colors. “It’s really cool stuff,” she said. 

In 2017, Glick was let go by GC, “The college had to let some faculty go. … [Glick] was the newest hire, so by default, she was the one that was let go … the jewelry class couldn’t be taught by another faculty,” she said.

There were no talks of bringing the course back until Wyse-Fisher joined GC last year. “We have all the resources to [teach jewelry],” Wyse-Fisher said. “A room with everything we need, so why not?” 

When asked what will be taught in the course, Wyse-Fisher describes the work as “hands-on,” focusing primarily on the processes of combining and forming metal and producing wearable pieces. 

Some processes include: forming pieces of metal into riveting shapes without melting; soldering, a technique used to connect two pieces of metal together; and stone setting, a technique used to encapsulate a stone within metal. 

“I would like to explore enameling, but I myself have to learn a bit more about enameling before I can teach it,” Wyse-Fisher said. 

Ryan Carrillo, a senior film production major who also has a minor in art, enrolled in Jewelry during his advising appointment last fall. “I’ve already done painting and drawing… I just wanted to dive into something new.” 

Speaking about his own artistic process, Carrillo said, “It’s a stress reliever in a way … It’s more about bringing your creative ideas together into something beautiful.” 

“A lot of people that are signed up for this class are not art majors,” Wyse-Fisher said. “[This is] a chance for [students] who don’t consider themselves artistic to be incredibly creative, to see that they’re artistic in other ways.” 

Carrillo said, “I will say, I am a little nervous to [attend], mainly because it’s something I’ve never really done before … I’m sure that the class will be nice and friendly.” 

With May term only spanning three weeks, Wyse-Fisher hopes to include as much as she can without overwhelming students: “I don’t want to be too ambitious, but I want to make sure that it’s a full experience for them,” she said.

Alongside soldering and hands-on projects, Wyse-Fisher hopes for the students to connect with their local craftsmen and even visit Goshen’s jewelry makers guild.

The class has a capacity of 12 students and is currently listed as full. However, there is no waitlist at this time, meaning a seat may be open come May 2026.