RISD Partners with Tiffany & Co. on Jeweler Apprenticeship Program

“As you become jewelers, you are joining a lineage that goes all the way back to the beginning of human history,” instructor Steven “KP” Kaplan-Pistiner MFA 20 JM tells the group of adult learners in his summer Casting and Chasing course. “People began adorning their bodies even before they started painting on the walls of caves.”

KP is addressing the first cohort of apprentices-in-training benefitting from a new partnership between RISD and world-renowned luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co. The two-year, 4,000-hour apprenticeship program, which also involves the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Building Futures Rhode Island, is part of Tiffany’s efforts to develop a new generation of skilled craftspeople, with additional cohorts to launch in Rhode Island and NYC in the future.

“Tiffany & Co. is committed to identifying talented craftspeople from various backgrounds to mentor and train them in the skills of high jewelry,” says the company’s Global Chief Human Resources Officer Mary Bellai. “Growing our diverse group of talent is foundational to our continued success; we are excited to be able to expand our reach into new markets to find and nurture talent while delivering on the goals outlined under our social impact platform.” 

As part of LMVH, Tiffany & Co. brought the Métiers d’Excellence institute to the US in 2022, and RISD got involved in 2023. Launched in 2014, LVMH’s Métiers d’Excellence institute was created to provide opportunities that support long-term growth and the development of students and institutions while inspiring the next generation of talent.

RISD’s Continuing Education (CE) division and Jewelry + Metalsmithing department worked with Tiffany & Co. to build the seven-course workforce development program and select faculty for the RISD-led courses. The courses are customized to build off one another and create a logical progression for the students’ learning. This allows them to learn concepts and techniques in the classroom while simultaneously applying them on the production line. Courses take place at both RISD and Tiffany’s Cumberland, RI facility and include Fundamentals, Casting and Chasing, CAD & Rhino and Specialized Techniques. 

“We’re thrilled to embark on this unique partnership with Tiffany & Co. preparing the next generation of practitioners through apprenticeship training,” notes RISD Provost Touba Ghadessi. “Both of our institutions have rich histories in Rhode Island, with many meaningful collaborations over the past century.”

Plans for the pilot partnership include a total of four cohorts with eight students in each. The goal is to educate 32 apprentices by the pilot’s end in late 2027.

“In CE, we seek to provide opportunities for students at all stages of life,” says RISD Continuing Education’s Director of Children, Youth & Pre-Collegiate Programming Andy Jacques. “This partnership furthers our mission by creating the opportunity to grow our strategy around workforce development, engage with the greater Rhode Island community and create custom programs with organizations from around the world.”

Back in the Metcalf Building, KP is demoing the proper technique for using a natural gas and oxygen torch (see top photo). The high-temperature, directed melting torch will allow the apprentices to add an “ancient bronze” alloy into the molds they created using the lost-wax technique. “This is an incredibly versatile alloy,” KP notes. “It flows smoothly and holds temperature well.”

The kiln they’re using cycles from 900° Fahrenheit to 1400° and back, evacuating the melted wax using centrifugal force. “You should be kind of stirring the metal with the flame,” KP advises one of the students as she works with the torch for the first time.

By the time the class is over, these apprentices will have mastered key skills that they’ll take back to Tiffany & Co. and wherever their careers take them, including lost-wax casting, model making, hand-carving, mold-making and wax-finishing. “Up until now, the assignments have been hyper-prescriptive,” says KP, “just a means of becoming familiar with new materials and building skill sets. But today, the class is making signet rings and charms that reflect their developing voices as jewelers. It’s really cool to watch.”

Jewelry + Metalsmithing Department Head Tracy Steepy, who has been instrumental in the development of the program since the start, is pleased with the progress the first cohort is making. “It’s great to see future jewelers in Rhode Island benefitting from the rigorous instruction on which our program is based,” she says. “The apprentices are learning foundational skills and 21st-century industry standards.”

RISD alum Victoria Wirth Reynolds 85 JM, chief gemologist and a VP of gemstone acquisition at Tiffany & Co., is also excited about the partnership. She notes, “As a graduate of RISD’s Jewelry + Metalsmithing program, I know that RISD will provide a strong foundation for this new generation of jewelers and help them to thrive at Tiffany.”

Simone Solondz / photos by Kaylee Pugliese and Johnny Vacar
July 25, 2024